Narrative of an expedition in H. M. S. Terror, undertaken with a view to geographical discovery on the Arctic shores, in the years 1836-7

^Marine 'Biological Laboratory Library

'Tilcods Oiok, Massachusetts

cVoyaqes ♦ of • ("Exploration

Collected

^EWcofAB (Thompson (Montjomerv

11907-1936)

Vhiladefyhia architect, ncjihcu? of
Ihomas Oiarrison Montgomery (1073-1912),
<MBL investigator, and tPriscilla ^Braisfin
{Montgomery (1874'1956\ MBl librarian.

Gift of their sons jfugh Montgomery MfD.
and 1{aumond t(B. Montgomery —1987.

I i

p

NARRATIVE

OF

AN EXPEDITION IN H.M.S. TERROR,

UNDERTAKEN WITH A VIEW TO

GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERY

ON

THE ARCTIC SHORES,

IN THE YEARS

1836-7-

BY CAPTAIN BACK, R.N.

COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION.

ILLUSTRATED BY A MAP AND PLATES.

LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.

MDCCCXXXVIII,

LONDOK '.

Printed by A. Spottiswoode,
New- Street- Square.

TO
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

LORD GLENELG,

HER MAJESTY'S PRINCIPAL SECRETARY OF STATE
FOR THE COLONIES,
&c. &c. &c.

THE FOLLOWING NARRATIVE

OF AN EXPEDITION TO THE ARCTIC SHORES,

IS,

WITH SINCERE RESPECT,

DEDICATED

BY HIS LORDSHIP'S MOST OBEDIENT AND

VERY HUMBLE SERVANT,

GEORGE BACK.

to

CONTENTS.

Preliminary Chapter - Page 1

CHAPTER I.

Departure from England. — Cape Farewell. — Porpoises and
Grills. — Driftwood with Roots and Bark. — Leave the
Vicinity of Cape Farewell. — Icebergs. — Course novel
and interesting. — Resolution Island. — Whirlpool. —
Descry Two Vessels. — Dreary Aspect of the Savage
Islands. — Visited by Esquimaux. — Difficult Navigation.

— Vessel moored to an Iceberg. — Crew exercised at
Small-arms under its Lee. — Geological Indications. —
Careen the Ship. — Progress through the Ice. — Salisbury
Island. — Ship followed by Esquimaux. — Land disco-
vered. — Deviation in Compasses. — Trinity Isles. — Ship
obliged to heave-to. — Whales seen. — Ship imbedded in
Ice. — Baffin and Southampton Islands. — Perilous Situa-
tion. — White WThales. — Winter Islands. — Water
Sky. 17

CHAP. II.

Steer for Southampton Island. — Conjectures respecting the
Ice. — Islands. — Pressure of the Wind. — Ship immove-
able. — Cutting away the Ice. — Snow. — Drifting
towards Land. — Accident to Rudder. — Aspect of con-
tiguous Coast. — New Moon. — Recreations of the Crew.

— Chase of a Bear. — Hawser carried away by Ice. — -
Icebound in Sight of Land. — ■ Wind veers to South-west.
Prospect of Release. — Hopes disappointed. — Ship

VI CONTENTS.

driven nearer Land. — Mr. Gore shoots a Fox. — Ship in
extreme Peril. — Frightful Increase of Pressure. — Pro-
vidential Delivery. — Exploring Expedition. — A Dock
cut in the Ice. — Consultation of Officers. — Rapid De-
struction of the Floe. — Bow of the Ship split. — Hopes
of progressing baffled. ... Page 77

«

CHAP. III.

Lane of Water discovered. — Prospect of wintering on the
I ce. — Violent Concussions experienced. — Employment
of the Crew. — Erection of an Observatory. — Favour-
able Position of the Ship. — Disruption by a Gale. —
Expansion of open Water. — Officers build Snow Houses.

— Excursions to Land. — An exploring Party. — Experi-
ment of wearing a Mask. — Survey of a Harbour. —
Pass Cape Comfort. — Risk of being crushed. — Robbed
by Foxes and Shrimps. — Thermometer rises. — Huge
Mass of Ice. — Amusements. — Thermometers tested. —
Accident to the Carpenter. — School for the Crew. —
Curious Phenomenon. — Register Thermometer. — Rein-
deer killed. — Fearful Storm. — Floe cracks. - 119

CHAP. IV.

Extraordinary Disruption. — Anxieties. — Rapid Change. —
Commotion. -— Masquerade. — Results of Commotion. —
Temperatures, — Invalids. — Anxiety for the Floe. —
Advantages of Situation. -- Death of a Sailor. — Reflec-
tions. — Desolation of the Land. — Curious Meteor. — Land
Excursions. — Tracks of Animals. — Increase of Sick. —
Precautions. — Phenomena. — Invalids. —Spirits of Crew
improve. — Weather. — Grinding of Ice. — Health. —
Under-Currents. — Floe diminishes. — Phenomena of Ice.

— Callosity of Limbs. — Intensely cold. — Influence of
gun. _ More Limpers. — Death of Mr. Donaldson. — Fine
Weather. — The Coast. — Soundings as before. — Set
of Current. — Heavy Gale. — Gale abates. — Holes of
Water. - - - - - - 177

CONTENTS. Vll

CHAP. V.

Valentine's Day. — Floe damaged. — Outline of Coast

Alarming Symptoms. — Chaotic Commotion. — Tumult
ceases. — Clearing Deck. — Dovekie shot. — Awful Peril.

— Grandeur of Scene. — Expectation of Crisis. — Havoc
spreads. — Desolation. — Ship remains nipped. — Turmoil.

— Set of Ice. — Ship rights. — Ice Hills. — Bolts, &c.
loosened by Pressure of Ice. — Flight of Birds. — Nautical
Artists. — Divine Service. — Blows a Gale. — Imminent
Peril. — St. Patrick's Day. — Ice fluctuates. — Sir J. Gor-
don's Bay. — Peril of Two Sailors. — Flock of Ducks,
and White Bear. — Death of a Sailor. — Baffin's Obser-
vations. — Flocks of Loons. — Improvement in Crew's
Health. — Diminution of Snow. — Mr. Gore Snow-
blind. - Page 217

CHAP. VI.

Feast of Loons. — Mr. Vaughan's Path. — Perilous Ex-
cursion. — White Whales. — Carpenters busy under-
mining Ship. — Result of Labours. — Polar Expeditions.

— Narwhales. — Report of Health. — Cannonading Floe.

— Cheerful Labours in sawing away the Ice. — Employ-
ment for Armourer. — Impediments from Calves. — New
Rent discovered. — Report of the Ship's Drift. — Ship
bursts her Bonds. — Novelty of Scene Stern-post shat-
tered. — Officers' Opinion in favour of Return to England.

— Awkwardness of Situation. — Expedition frustrated.

— Ship's Draught increased. — Visited by Esquimaux. —
Ship struck by a Floe. — Shattered Condition of Ship. —
Sail for England. — Arrival at Chatham. - - 348

Appendix - - 449

NARRATIVE

OF AN

EXPEDITION

IN

HIS MAJESTY'S SHIP TERROR,

IN THE YEARS 1836-7.

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

The interest which had been excited by the
former Expeditions through the interior and
along the coast of North America, and the suc-
cessive information gained on every trial, induced
the Geographical Society to draw the attention
of Government to a proposed expedition for
completing the coast line between Regent's
Inlet and Point Turnagain. The project was
entertained, and I had the honour to be selected
to carry it into execution.

On May 13th, 1836, I received my official
appointment to His Majesty's ship Terror,
then lying alongside the Hussar hulk, at
Chatham. She had been recently doubled, and
in every respect strengthened with the most
massive iron and copper fastenings, for a voyage
to the Polar Sea. Some alterations were now

B B

9, PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

made to accommodate her to the new service on
which she was destined, and a leak, which had
been discovered on a short trip which she had
made to Hull, was effectually repaired. She
was also provided with a warming apparatus,
which however, though probably well calcu-
lated for more temperate climates, was not
found to answer its intended purpose in the
North.

It may be briefly described as a purely wrought
iron pipe two hundred and forty feet long, an
inch in diameter, and five eighths of an inch
bore, extending nearly round the ship and the
midship cabins ; the solution of strong brine, with
which it was filled by the aid of a forcing-pump,
being kept hot by means of a furnace, strongly
built in brick within an iron tank or casing, in
the interior of which several coils of pipe wound
round. To guard against accidents, there were
expansion tubes abaft the first bend coming from
the furnace, which, in case of an excess of heat,
became filled, and so prevented the bursting of
the apparatus.

The advantage proposed to be gained over the
well-tried method adopted by Sir E. Parry, was
a diminution in the consumption of coals, a
bushel being considered quite enough for a
day's use. How far this calculation would have
been borne out by fact, there was no opportunity

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER, 3

of proving; but it is only justice to Mr. Heath,
one of the firm by which the apparatus was
provided, to state, that he himself declared, " he
should have scarcely recommended so novel a
scheme on a service such as ours, where, if an
accident occurred, there would be considerable
difficulty in making the necessary reparations."

Three capacious, but comparatively light,
whale boats were built, and an equal number of
sledges with iron runners, so contrived as to
serve also for the body of a carriage, which,
when placed on wheels adapted to the con-
trivance, were expected, and could not fail, to be
most useful for the conveyance of stores, &c. over
the land.

For food at once the most portable and sub-
stantial, upwards of three thousand pounds weight
of pemmican were manufactured from the choicest
meat, with pimento and other spices mixed, to
make it more palatable. In addition to this,
there was a liberal supply of preserved meats and
soups, together with a great variety of anti-
scorbutics ; warm clothing to provide against the
cold of winter, such as fur caps, carpet or cloth
boots, with cork next the feet, and bear skin
blankets, &c. : but as I experienced some trouble
in making out a list of what was actually in-
dispensable, it may be of future use to insert it
here : —

b 2

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

WARM CLOTHING.

Sea boots - 130 pair.

Cloth ditto, with

cork soles - 132 —

Ankle shoes - 130 —

Pea jackets - 131

Monkey jackets - 65
Flushing trousers,

lined with baize 130 —

Red flannel shirts 130

Wadmil hose - 185 pair.

Swanskin drawers 1 30

Comfortables - 195

Welsh wigs - 130

Fur caps 65

Green crape - 100 yds.
Bear skin blankets 70

PROVISION FOR EIGHTEEN MONTHS' CON-

SUMPTION.

Bread

35,860 lbs. 1

Preserved

Spirits -

1519 gals.

vegetables

1320 lbs.

Brandy

100 —

Potatoes

4480 —

Wine

49j —

Carrots in sand -

10 casks.

Salt beef

1634 lbs.

Molasses

800 lbs.

Salt pork

3280 —

Essence of

Flour -

9896 —

spruce

50 pots.

Suet -

1652 —

Do. do.

50 —

Raisins

728 —

Macaroni

1200 lbs.

Tea

613 —

Rice

1541 —

Oatmeal

82 —

Pickled cabbage -

125 gals.

Peas

145 —

Walnuts

50 —

Chocolate

1951 —

Horse radish

50 —

Sugar

3107 —

Onions -

50 —

Do. for lime juice

798 —

Mixed pickles -

100 —

Butter

337 —

Cranberries

100 —

Cheese -

450 —

Salt

336 lbs.

Vinegar

203 —

Mustard

375 —

Concentd do.

50 —

Pepper

60 —

Soap

1200 —

Normandy

Tobacco

1001 —

pippins

55 —

Fresh beef and

Arrow root

30 —

live stock for

35 days

Prepared barley

24 —

Lemon juice

798 lbs.

Portable soup -

20 -—

Pemmican

4874 —

Coals -

112 tons.

Candles, wax

Oil

101 gals.

and tallow

3124 —

Cooking appara-

Pemmican, with

tus for boats

currants

- 1080 —

complete

3

Preserved meats

- 9001 —

1 Pyroligneous ether 120 pts.

Vegetable soups

- 372 qts.

1

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 5

These, together with a complete set of anti-
mildewed tents, oiled-cloth floorings and covers,
completed us in this respect, while an ample
supply of fowling-pieces, rifles, and ammunition,
made our outfit of the most perfect description.

The following instruments were also supplied
by the Admiralty : —

Artificial horizon - 1 Magnetic intensity in-
Marine barometer - 1 ; strument - 1
Azimuth compasses - 2 Sympiesometer - 1
Alexander's steering do. - 1 Spirit thermometers - 8
Boat compasses - 3 Six's thermometer - 1
Kater's compasses - 2 Small do. in brass cases - 4
Dipping needle - 1 Common mercurial ones - 6
Case of instruments - 1 Transit instrument - 1
Massey's logs - 3 Night telescope - 1
Sounding machines - 2 Bottle of spare mercury - 1

Also a variety of books and
stationery.

Hygrometer - 1

Case of bar magnets - 1
Measuring chain - 1

We were also provided with Fraser's fire
hearth and coppers, which, besides throwing out
more heat than those commonly in use, had the
decided advantage of consuming less fuel, and
were therefore particularly desirable in a ship
with a limited quantity of coals.

Most of the officers, and all the men, were
volunteers ; the whole number amounting to
sixty, in the following proportions ■ —

George Back - Captain.

William Smyth - - - First Lieutenant.

Owen Stanley - - - Second Lieutenant.

Archibald M< Murdo - - Third Lieutenant.

James Saunders - - Acting Master.

B 3

6

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

James Donovan, M.D.
Graham Gore
Robert M ' Clure
Peter Fisher
Charles Marcuard
James A. Mould
William Lawes
Thomas Donaldson
John Vaughan
John Smith
George Green

SEAMEN.

Captain's coxswain - 1
Quarter-masters - - 3
Boatswain's mate - 1
Sailmaker and crew - 2
Armourer - 1
Armourer's mate - 1
Carpenter's crew, inclu-
ding 1 mate - -4

Surgeon.

Mate.

Mate.

Mate.

Extra Mate.

Assistant Surgeon.

Clerk in Charge.

Gunner.

Boatswain.

Carpenter.

Ice Mate.

Able seamen
Captain's steward
Captain's cook

MARINES.

Serjeant John Maslin
Corporal Henry

Plumstead
Privates

22
1
1

1
5

The following orders were enclosed in an
official communication from the Honourable
Charles Elphinstone Fleeming, at that period
commander-in-chief at Sheerness : —

"By the Commissioners for executing the
office of Lord High Admiral of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, &c.

" His Majesty's Government having been
pleased to command that another attempt by the
way of Wager River should be made to trace the
northern boundary of the North American
Continent : We have thought fit to appoint you
to the command of that expedition, and you are

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. J

hereby required and directed to put to sea in
His Majesty's ship Terror, under your command,
the moment that she is in all respects ready, and
to proceed with the utmost celerity in the ex-
ecution of the following Instructions :

" If, on quitting the Nore, the wind should be
decidedly from the westward, you will pursue
the usual track, north about ; but if, on the con-
trary, the wind should appear to promise a more
speedy passage down the English Channel, you
are to push out in that direction, as affording the
best chance of completing this undertaking within
the present year, which will mainly depend on
your early arrival off Hudson's Straits, so as to
be able to take advantage of the first opening
in the outer barrier of ice, provided you should
find it still shut up.

" Having once entered this strait, you will pro-
bably find the water comparatively free till you
approach Salisbury Island, and you will then have
to choose between the direct and obvious course
up Frozen Strait, which was performed with ap-
parent ease by the Fury and Hecla in 1821, or
the more circuitous route by the Welcome,
which was unsuccessfully attempted by the
Griper in 1824, but which you are left at
liberty to adopt, if the state of the ice, after the
late severe winter, should render Frozen Strait
impassable. Again, though we consider Wager

b 4

8 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

River will be, for many reasons, the most eligible
place for the commencement of your operations,
yet, as the same combination of wind, tide, and
ice, which would render that inlet difficult of
access, might equally facilitate your entrance
into Repulse Bay ; and as this bay would ap-
pear to be not more distant from Regent's Inlet
than Wager Bay, you are further left at liberty
to run for the former, instead of persisting in a
tedious struggle to reach Wager Bay.

" Into whichsoever of these inlets you may find
it expedient to conduct His Majesty's ship, your
first object will be to place her in present safety ;
and then, having previously arranged a sufficient
number of light reconnoitering parties, and having
duly provided them with all necessary provisions,
tools, and signals, you will detach them in any
and every direction that may appear most promptly
to lead to the discovery of a suitable track for
transporting the boats and stores across the land
which intervenes between these inlets and the

sea.

" While these parties are employed on this im-
portant service, a rapid examination must be
made of the character of the shores of one or
other of these inlets, and of their several creeks
and harbours, along with the set and rise of the
tides, in order to the selection of such an anchor-
age as may ensure the perfect security of the

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

ship during your absence, and as may promise
a ready egress to her at the close of the season,
when your operations have terminated, and when
the young ice may be expected to form. In
this point of view, the position, and the small
comparative depth of Repulse Bay, would appear
to offer an easier and more speedy egress.

" The officer left in charge of the Terror is to
receive from you specific orders, not only as to
his general proceedings while you are away, but
as respects his intercourse with the natives, as
well as the series of observations he is to record,
and the mode in which he is to conduct a survey
of the inlet, including the neighbouring lakes,
its accessory rivers, if any, a continued register
of the times and heights of the tides at high and
low water, and the elevation and geological
character of the adjacent hills. You will com-
municate to him the probable period of your
absence, and you will arrange with him a few
signals, by means of a gun fired in the stillness
of night, at a precise hour, or by rockets or
flashes, some of which may eventually be of great
importance in cases where assistance may be
required. Lastly, you will give him directions
how to act, should any misfortune befall yourself
and the other detached parties ; and in the con-
templation of such an event, which may retard
the return of the parties about the period fixed

10 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

for their purpose, you will appoint some ultimate
period in the ensuing year, beyond which he is
not to protract his stay, but peremptorily to
repair with His Majesty's ship to England ;
in which case it would be advisable that he
should endeavour to communicate a statement of
any accident that may have occurred to Fort
Churchill.

" Having satisfactorily settled these preliminary
but important arrangements, you will then pro-
ceed in the execution of the main objects of the
voyage. These objects are, —

" First, To ascertain the general form and
position of that part of the northern coast of
America which extends from the point where
you may first strike the sea shore of Prince
Regent's Inlet, as far as the western mouth of
Fury and Hecla Strait; and if that service should
be accomplished with facility, or if no serious
obstacle should there present itself to the timely
return of the party, the western coast of Cock-
burn Island might be pursued as far as the Cape
Kater of Parry's first voyage, but forbidding the
officer of the boat whom you may detach on
this service, to penetrate far into any of the
openings by which that probable group of islands
may be intersected ; and on no account to risk
the prolongation of the fixed period for returning
to the ship ; not even to persevere in the attempt

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 1 1

to cross the Fury and Hecla Strait, provided any
very serious difficulty should present itself.

" Secondly, The determination, in a similar
manner, of the continental coast line from the
point of arrival on Prince Regent's Inlet, to the
mouth of the River Back, and after passing Mac-
onochie island, the continuation of the main
shore as far as the Point Turnagain of Franklin ;
to cross the strait which is supposed to separate
the continent of America from the islands to
the northern end of it, tracing the shore to the
farthest point of Captain James Ross's discovery,
and, if time will allow, to proceed from thence
to the spot where he determined, by observations,
the position of the northern magnetic pole.

" You will instruct the officers in command of
the two foregoing parties to note down as they
proceed, on each day, the state of the sea with
regard to ice, the one party in a northern
direction, the other to the westward ; and also, if
any land should appear in these directions, to
like its bearings and probable distance, it being
of great importance to ascertain whether the
Arctic Sea, to the northward of the north coast
of America, be from appearance navigable by
ships of considerable burden.

" In the event, however, of rinding that these
positions of Captain James Ross are actually on
the continent of America, the party may return

12 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

to the ship, as the second party, directing their
course towards Point Turnagain, will, in that
case, decide from what point the trending of
the coast to the northward commences.

" To the vigorous pursuit of these interesting
geographical questions, all minor objects must
be sacrificed ; and no halt in the progress towards
the termination of the journeys above mentioned
should be any where permitted, for the purpose
of obtaining information on any of those colla-
teral subjects which otherwise it would be highly
desirable to collect.

" Nevertheless, on the return of the parties,
when they can estimate what time they have to
spare, and at every nightly station, every adverse
gale, or impervious fog, will afford opportunities
for observing the magnetic dip and intensity, and
for encouraging a variety of valuable researches
in other branches of science, the necessary
instruments for which purposes have been sup-
plied to you, and the opportunities for effecting
which you will no doubt discreetly employ.

" In any large enterprise of this nature much
must be left to the experience, judgment, and
responsibility of the commanding officer ; and
as the general objects of this Expedition have
been fully explained to you, so the detailed
manner of executing them is hereby committed
to your own discretion and zeal, always re-

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 13

collecting our anxiety for the health, comfort,
safety, and ultimate credit of yourself, your
officers, and your crew. In like manner you
will have to repose a similar confidence on
those officers to whom you entrust the command
of the detached parties ; but you will endeavour
to guide them by the most explicit instructions
which it may be in your power to give.

" You will assist them by a minute exposition
of all the resources which you have derived
from the fruits of your own experience, and you
will give them peremptory injunctions to return
to the ship at a definite fixed period.

"The foregoing instructions have been framed
with the intention, and in the full belief, that this
service may be duly and faithfully performed
in the course of the present season, and that this
Arctic Expedition maybe distinguished from all
others by the promptitude of its execution, and
by escaping from the gloomy and unprofitable
waste of eight months' detention : it is therefore
our distinct orders, that every effort shall be
made to return to England in the fall of this
year. Difficulties may however occur, which
we cannot foresee ; some of the detachments may
have been detained by uncontrollable events,
or may have been visited by accidents requiring
assistance at a considerable distance ; and in
these cases you may find yourself compelled to

14< PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

winter abroad. If such should, unfortunately, be
the issue of all your best exertions to comply
with our order to return home, you will en-
deavour to provide, in the most effectual man-
ner, for the safety of his Majesty's ship, and for
the health and comfort of your crew, and you
will continually and sedulously employ all the
scientific means at your disposal, in rendering
your long winter as beneficial as circumstances
will permit.

"In the same spirit, when the days become
sufficiently long, you will, by short and well-pre-
pared expeditions, add as much as you can to
our knowledge of the adjacent regions. In the
case supposed, when the ice opens in the ensuing
summer, you may devote a short season to such
pursuits, and in such directions as you may
consider most conducive to the general objects
contained in these instructions, but you will take
such timely measures as may prevent the pos-
sibility of a second year's detention.

" On your arrival in England, you are imme-
diately to repair to this office, to lay before us a
full account of your proceedings ; and you will
demand from the officers, and from all other
persons under your command, the logs and
journals they may have kept, together with any
charts or drawings they may have made, all
which are to be sealed up, in order to their being

PRELIMINARY CHAPTER. 15

hereafter disposed of as we may think proper to
determine.

"Given under our hands, this 11th day of
June, 1836.

" Charles Adam.
" George Elliot.

" To George Back, Esq.,
Captain of His Majesty's ship Terror,
at Chatham,

" By command of their Lordships,

"John Barrow."

The kind and valuable assistance I received
from the officers who preside at the head of the
different departments from which we were sup-
plied with stores, &c. demands my warmest ac~
knowledgments.

Admiral the Hon. C, E. Fleeminglost no op-
portunity of facilitating my wishes in every
respect ; while it would be difficult to express
what I owe to Sir James Gordon, for the interest
he evinced, and the active measures he pursued
to get the ship quickly ready for sea.

Nor can I sufficiently thank Lieutenant (now
Commander) Smyth, the officers and crew of
the Terror, for their energetic services and
most praiseworthy conduct, under trials of no

16 PRELIMINARY CHAPTER.

ordinary description, sustained by all with patient
fortitude. From the journal of Commander
Smyth I have derived much benefit in the com-
pilation of the following Narrative, and to him,
also, I am indebted for the faithful and spirited
drawings which embellish it. The Chart is the
work of Lieutenant Stanley, to whose efficient
services I have great pleasure in bearing
testimony.

CHAPTER I.

Departure from England. — Cape Farewell. — Porpoises and
Gulls. — Driftwood with Roots and Bark. — Leave the
Vicinity of Cape Farewell. — Icebergs. — Course novel and
interesting. — Resolution Island. — Whirlpool. — Descry
two Vessels. — Dreary Aspect of the Savage Islands. — Vi-
sited by Esquimaux. — Difficidt Navigation. — Vessel
moored to an Iceberg. — Crew exercised at Small-arms under
its Lee. — Geological Indications. — Careen the Ship. —
Progress through the Ice. — Salisbury Island. — Ship fol-
lowed by Esquimaux. — Land discovered. — Deviation in

Compasses Trinity Isles. — Ship obliged to heave-to. —

Whales seen. — Ship imbedded in Ice Boffi7i and South-
ampton Islands. — Perilous Situation. — White Whales. —
Winter Island. — Water Sky.

The incidents of a voyage along the coasts of
Great Britain and across the North Atlantic,
however interesting to the actors, have been
rendered so familiar to the English reader, that,
passing rapidly over the earlier events, I shall
hasten forward to the peculiar circumstances that
distinguish the present expedition from those
which have preceded it.

I had requested, and obtained, from the Ad-
miralty the assistance of a steam vessel until we
should be clear of the shoals, and about eleven
a. m. of the 14th June, 1836, the Terror left
Chatham, and was towed along the Medway by
the Rhadamanthus steam vessel, amidst cheers

c

18 PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.

from the vessels on either side of the river. At
Sheerness we were compelled to wait for gun-
ners' stores, and it was not till the 16th that we
were finally under weigh and clear of the river.
Baffling head-winds prevented me from discharg-
ing the steamer as I had intended at Flambo-
rough Head, and we were towed along at a slow
rate until, on the 21st, we reached the bay of
Aberdeen. The wind, which for some days had
been squally, had now freshened to a gale, and,
as it was impossible to make any advance, the
vessel was brought to an anchor. The watering
was completed, and, in accordance with a plan
on which I had previously determined, the re-
maining leisure was employed in converting the
ship into a barque. To nautical men, especially
those accustomed to polar navigation, it is unne-
cessary to explain the advantages of the change ;
but to the uninitiated it may be proper to men-
tion, that the difference consists in the more simple
rigging of the mizen-mast, whereby several sails,
in themselves of no great use, being dispensed
with, the vessel is more easily worked, and many
hands are set free for other duties essential in
the difficult navigation through the ice. The
superfluous spars, which would have only en-
cumbered us, were placed on board the Rhada-
manthus and returned to Chatham.

Even as it was, our decks presented a singular

PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE. 19

appearance : there was a large stock of coals
stowed in double rows along the quarter-deck
and gangways, leaving but a very narrow space
for the officers and men to pass. There were
three boats on the booms and two on the quar-
ters. On the skids over the quarter-deck were
two whale-boats, besides several immense sledges,
and whatever else could be stowed there. Large
spars, planks, and a hand-mast, two tons of po-
tatoes, provender for twenty sheep and ten pigs,
the sheep and pigs themselves, with sundry ducks
and fowls, occupied every other disposeable nook ;
and though, by a little method and skilful stow-
ing, all this mass of dead and living lumber had
been made to assume some degree of form and
regularity, yet it may be well imagined that there
was no superfluous space.

The crew, when mustered at divisions on the
Sunday previous, presented to the view as fine
a body of men as could glad the heart of a com-
mander ; and, though experience had taught me
to distrust impressions of this kind, yet, when I
cast my eyes over the files, and, on a subsequent
inspection, saw the neatness and comfort con-
spicuous in the berths, I could not avoid drawing
a favourable omen for the future.

Early in the morning of the 22d (the wind
having shifted in the night) we left our anchor-
age, still towed by the Rhadamanthus, and stood

c °2

20 DEPARTURE FROM ENGLAND.

along the shore for Buchan-ness. In the even-
ing, the wind freshening to a stiff breeze, com-
pelled us to cast off the tow-rope ; and with
a view of saving time, as well as the risk of
lowering a boat, we sent off our letters in a keg
made fast to a line veered from the Rhadaman-
thus for the purpose. The next morning, being
off the Orkneys and the wind favourable, it was
thought unnecessary to detain the Rhadamanthus
any longer, and Mr. King having received his
instructions, parted company from us, in the true
English style with three hearty cheers from his
crew.

We now shaped our course for Cape Farewell.
From the 24th to the 27th, we had occasional
squalls, with a short pitching sea, and, on the
27th, a strong gale from the S. W. The sailing
qualities of the Terror were thus put to the test ;
and it was gratifying to find that, deep and lum-
bered as she was, and though at every plunge the
bowsprit dipped into the water, she yet pitched
so easily as scarcely to strain a rope-yarn, and,
in seaman's phrase, made very good weather of
it. This sort of weather continued with little
intermission till the 30th, the sea washing over
the decks, and the men constantly employed ;
but, on that day the wind moderating and be-
coming at the same time more favourable, the
royals and all the studding-sails were for the first
time set, and the gallant ship in the full pride

•

CAPE FAREWELL. 21

of her expanded plumage floated majestically
through the rippling water.

On the 4th of July, we were distant from Cape
Farewell 537 miles, in lat. 59° 59' N. and Ion.
<25° 25' W. Here a remarkable change was ob-
served in the colour of the sea, which, though
under a cloudy sky, assumed a sort of bottle-
green tint, such as is often seen in shoal water
over a sandv bottom. On this, as on some of the
preceding days, there was a heavy swell from the
S.W., the waves being estimated to range from
15 to 18 feet in height. On the 6th, we found
ourselves in lat. 61° N. ; and, though there
was reason to expect that from the combined
action of the westerly winds which had so long
prevailed and the southerly current, the drift
ice from Davis and Hudson' Straits would be
carried so far to the S. E. as to leave a clear
passage to the north ; yet, apprehensive that
some ice might still be hanging along the coast
east of Cape Farewell, I put the ship on the
other tack, and stood to the southward.

On the 9th, the weather was calm, and, taking
advantage of this to inspect the holds, we de-
tected an unusually fetid odour, which on exa-
mination was found to proceed from a quantity
of carrots packed in casks filled with sand. The
casks were opened, and so offensive were the
contents, that even the pigs refused to eat them.

c 3

22 CREW S ALLOWANCE DIMINISHED.

and, much to our regret, we were compelled to
throw overboard our whole stock of a vegeta-
ble which would have afforded us an agree-
able as well as wholesome variety of winter food.
The cause assigned for the accident was, that
the sand in which the carrots were packed had
not been thoroughly dried. On Sunday the
10th, the crew being mustered as usual by di-
visions, I announced my intention of putting the
ship on two-thirds' allowance of provisions, at
the same time carefully explaining to the men
that, in so doing, I was actuated solely by a wish
to provide for their comfort, in case of any of
those disastrous contingencies to which a ser-
vice such as ours was peculiarly subject. On
the following day, this resolution was carried
into effect as to every thing but spirits and oat-
meal, of which there was an abundant stock ;
and it is due to the men to say, that the regula-
tion was submitted to with apparent cheerful-
ness. The wind still blew perversely from the
west, and our rate of sailing scarcely exceeded
three knots an hour, much to our annoyance,
who felt how the best part of the season was thus,
as it were, slipping out of our grasp. The heavy
swell also continued, and, for some days after
this, the ship rolled almost helplessly on the
long waves ; sometimes even drifting bodily to
leeward. After a short interval of calm weather,

PORPOISES AND GULLS. 23

which was gladly taken advantage of for drying
the clothes and hammocks, the wind again blew
hard from the S. W., and for some days ren-
dered any advance impossible. On the 18th,
the gale abated, and the wind getting more to
the south, enabled us to lay on our course. On
several occasions before this, in the intervals of
good weather, I had observed porpoises in great
numbers gamboling about the vessel ; and at
this time in particular, we were visited by a large
shoal, whose sportive tricks and ludicrous atti-
tudes relieved the monotony of the scene, and
afforded us much amusement. When they left
us, a flock of gulls succeeded, and approached
with so much boldness as to catch the bits of
tallow thrown to them from the deck. It is
needless to say that they came and departed un-
molested. On the 20th, a breeze from the S. S. E.
sprung up, which, before noon the next day, had
increased to a strong gale, and carried us at the
unusual rate of six knots an hour to the west-
ward of Cape Farewell. This, however, did not
last long, for the wind again drew round to the
west, and ended in a calm.

Here some drift-wood was observed, to one of
the pieces of which the roots and bark were still
attached. It could not, therefore, have been
long separated from the land, but from what
land it is not easy to determine. The consider-

c 4

24 DRIFT-WOOD.

ation of this subject possesses more interest than
at first sight may appear. We have the au-
thority of nearly every navigator for upwards of
three centuries, that drift-wood has been in-
variably seen somewhere near the parallel of
Cape Farewell ; whilst, on the other hand, by
the recent voyages of Sir E. Parry and Sir J.
Ross we are assured of the entire absence of
drift-wood from the north-western parts visited
by them. Sir E. Parry, in particular, asserts that
none was seen by him in a period of five years.
Whence then does this wood come ? Egede
tells us that, in some parts of Greenland, he saw
a small species of pine, perhaps not unlike the
swamp fir of Hudson's Bay ; but the wood ob-
served by us was of a longer kind, more resem-
bling that usually found inland on the alluvial
banks of large rivers ; and there seem to be only
two places whence the wind and prevailing cur-
rent could bring wood of that description. It
may be, that it proceeds originally from some
part of the coast of Labrador, and that the trees
there being detached from the banks of the
streams, on the breaking up of the spring ice,
and carried down by the floods which usually
accompany the disruption, are whirled about in
the conflicting eddies along the sea-shore, until
getting within the influence of the regular south-
erly current, they are met by a south west gale*

LEAVE CAPE FAREWELL. 25

and thus driven to the part where they are ge-
nerally seen. The other, and, in my judgment, not
improbable explanation, is to be found in the
well-known fact, that vast piles of huge drift-
wood, consisting of balsam, poplar, larches, firs,
and birch, are swept by the annual flooding of
the Mackenzie into the Polar Sea, and are there
carried out in different directions as the tide
current and set of the ice may determine. The
greater portion, we know, parts east and west
of the mouth of the river, and accumulating on
the Polar shores, furnishes to the poor Esqui-
maux an invaluable and inexhaustible supply of
material for their canoes and other rude imple-
ments of art. But is it impossible that another
portion may be driven out far to the north, and
there, meeting with a westerly current, be brought
into Davis's Straits through some yet unex-
plored channel ?

On the 23d, we at length gave our willing
adieu to Cape Farewell, under the welcome in-
fluence of a breeze from the eastward ; but in the
night the wind shifted and blew hard, making a
sea, which kept the men half-leg deep on the
quarter-deck. From the 25th to the 28th, we
had a pleasant run across Davis's Straits under
a steady breeze from S. W. Day- light on the
29th exhibited to us a small iceberg, and soon
afterwards several larger bergs and a heavy

26 ICEBERGS.

stream of ice were discerned to the west-
ward. We advanced close to the margin of the
latter, and then tacked off: it was composed of
large floe pieces, and ran in a direction from
N.W. to S. E. The rapid fall of the thermo-
meter in the night had indicated the vicinity
of ice, and now a thick fog coming on which
obscured the view, we were informed only by
the still greater depression of the temperature,
and by the roaring of the surf distinctly heard,
that we were not far from some considerable mass
of ice. Accordingly in the evening when the
weather cleared, we observed an enormous berg,
the perpendicular face of which was not less
than 300 feet high, and other smaller bergs,
nine altogether, in other directions. Prepar-
ations had been made for avoiding or escaping
the danger of a too close acquaintance with
these gigantic neighbours, in case the fog had
continued ; and, among other things, the boom
foresail had been bent, — a sail which, as nau-
tical men will be aware, is, by reason of its quick
movement, of excellent use in narrow channels
and consequently among ice, where it is ne-
cessary to alter course often and suddenly to
avoid the floating masses. The clearing of the
weather rendered these precautions for the pre-
sent unnecessary, and we proceeded on our
course with studding-sails set, until suddenly a

COURSE NOVEL AND INTERESTING. Tj

gleam of continuous ice was seen right ahead,
which threatened an interruption of our pro-
gress. But as the morning of the 30th broke
we found the heavy stream before us less com-
pact than had been feared, and entered the pack
with confidence.

The day was beautifully fine, and to those
who were novices in this sort of navigation,
nothing could exceed the interest of the scene :
— the tall ship with all her sails set threading
her graceful way through the masses of ice,
upon a sea as smooth as an inland lake. What
a contrast from the mountain waves over which
we had been tossing and tumbling for weeks
past! Again, in the far horizon, there was the
ever-welcome loom of land ; and though from
our distance according to reckoning, some doubts
were at first expressed as to the reality of this
appearance, yet these were soon afterwards set
at rest, and the land at eight a. m. was distinctly
visible to the naked eye, stretching from W. to
to N. W. by N. We supposed it to be Black-
head on the Labrador coast, not far from Cape
Chudleigh, and which our noon observations
placed sixty miles distant. It is to be remarked,
that the weather was unusually clear, with a
temperature of 36°, and the wind blowing off the
land, so that objects could be discerned at a great
distance. There was a considerable quantity of

28 RESOLUTION ISLAND.

snow on the summits and sides of the coast,
which about 11a. m. was refracted into the most
eccentric outlines, some not unlike the form of
a pagoda. The latitude to-day was 60° 17 N.
and longitude by chronometer 6l°57' W., from
which we learnt that we had been set by the cur-
rent no less than forty-one miles south in the
space of two days. Our distance from Resolution
Island, at noon, was sixty-nine miles.

Towards evening the wind dropped, and we
bent our cables to be in readiness, in case we
should be carried into situations where it might
be necessary to seek an anchorage. A thin ice
formed during the night, and, on the 31st, the
pack seemed to have gathered more closely
around us. The day, however, was beautifully
calm, and a boat was sent to procure fresh water
from the pools formed on the surface of the
larger masses of ice. A light breeze soon after-
wards sprung up, which, though scarcely raising
a ripple on the water, kept the sails full aloft,
and carried us gently onward at the rate of two
knots. The nearer view now afforded us of the
land presented nothing attractive. Peaked and
splintered hills, resting on a sort of shelf or
ledge, which again broke off perpendicularly
into dark cliffs raised upon shelving banks covered
with snow *, and farther off, though still, as it

RESOLUTION ISLAND. 29

seemed, connected with these, a ridge of heights
rounder and more regular, but all bare and deso-
late, without one tinge of green to relieve the
sombre picture, ■ — such was the forbidding aspect
of this unsocial coast. After divine service the
boat was again sent for water, which was found
to be of excellent quality, and our stock was in-
creased to eleven tuns, — a supply amply suffi-
cient, however long our run might prove to be.
Throughout the 1st of August we continued
to push our way through the yielding masses,
with no further mischief than a few thumps and
grindings.

We were now fast approaching Cape Chud-
leigh and Button's Isles, and, not long after-
wards, land was descried to the N. E., which
we knew to be Resolution Island, and the land
to the westward of it, when suddenly a delta of
ice appeared in front of us, so close as to defy
all attempts to penetrate it. Of the navigable
' lanes' at its sides one led considerably to the
east, and the other branched immediately along
the Labrador coast beyond Button's Isles, from
thence apparently leading into open water. My
general plan was to have kept the north shore
close aboard, after the example of the able
officers who had preceded me on these services;
and, indeed, of the Hudson's Bay ships, which

30 DENSE FOG.

invariably take that direction in their outward
passage ; but having a commanding breeze and
a clearer space for sailing in, I did not hesitate,
under the circumstances, to take the south shore,
intending to follow it up until a change in the
wind or ice should render it advisable to edge
over to the usual track. At 8h p. m. Resolution
Island was seen bearing by compass N. by E.,
and we were beginning to flatter ourselves that
we had cleared the obstacles when, about
noon, a dense fog came on, and the ice in-
creased in quantity and dimension so much
as to excite some apprehension of the practi-
cability of passing it. At 2h of the following
morning, the fog was so dense that the 'leads' or
openings could not be distinguished, and there
was no resource but to heave-to until the weather
should be clearer. In an hour's time it did
clear, and, though for a few minutes only, yet
the interval enabled us to catch a glimpse of
a passage between some large masses ahead.
The breeze was quite fair, and again setting the
small sails we ran on through very heavy ice,
sometimes temporarily arrested, and at others
boring through every impediment, not, however,
without receiving some violent concussions.

By 7h a. m. we had cleared this difficulty, but
soon came to a solid pack from twenty to twenty-
five feet high, which, of course, there was no

DIFFICULT NAVIGATION. 31

hope of penetrating. Wishing, however, to
keep as near mid channel as I could, I coasted
the edge of the pack until a narrow stream was
seen, through which we bored our way until
we again came to heavy sailing ice. It was
exceedingly difficult to ascertain whereabout we
were, for independently of the fog, which of
itself was bad enough, the whole of the com-
passes became so sluggish as to require tapping
with the finger every five or ten minutes to make
them traverse at all, and could not, therefore, be
depended on. There was, however, no choice,
but either to run on at all hazards, or to heave-to,
at the risk of being beset in the pack, which
every moment the wind was driving closer.
Rather than be detained in such a manner, at
least in this place, I determined to stretch over
to the north shore, which, in fact, had now be-
come the weather one, and to depend on the
sharpness of our sight for discovering the land,
at the same time, having every thing ready for
guarding against accidents. The manner in
which this resolution was executed was highly
creditable to the ice-mate, Mr. Green, and the
gunner, Mr. Donaldson, who took upon them
the duty of piloting the ship in these situations
by turns, — a duty for which the latter, in par-
ticular, was well qualified by the experience he
had acquired under Sir E. Parry. Frequently,

3:2 IMPEDED BY FOG AND ICE.

while boring through the packed pieces, or en-
deavouring to force some mass aside, the officers
were anions: the foremost over the bows to assist
in carrying out an ice-anchor with a line to warp
the ship, or, with long poles, to push the ice
away from the stern, and all seemed really to enjoy
the novelty and excitement of the scene.

The ice for the most part was old and rotten,
consisting of portions of broken floes, with square
blocks and hummocks on them. The weather
throughout the afternoon continued so thick,
that even ice could not be discerned above two
hundred yards off; and being, as we supposed,
near the north shore, I was not a little anxious
lest we should be driven by some violent cur-
rent against it an accident which, having ex-
perienced on a former occasion, I was by no
means desirous of encountering a second time.
Towards midnight, we found ourselves embar-
rassed amongst floes and very heavy jce, the
difficulty of avoiding which was much aug-
mented by the lightness of the breeze then
blowing from the south-west. However, in the
morning of August 3d, the breeze returning to
its old point of S. E. freshened a little, most
opportunely and fortunately for us, for the
weather continuing equally misty, we were be-
coming entangled amid large masses of ice which,
under the influence of a strong current, often

WHIRLPOOL. S3

struck the ship with a force that made her reel ;
while the windward stream was approaching
the leeward so rapidly as to make it extremely
doubtful whether we should not be caught be-
tween them, and there be beset for, perhaps,
several days. Every sail that could be of the
least utility had been set, and for a short inter-
val we seemed to be gaining ground, but on
altering the position of the head to clear a small
floe directly before us, the current took the ship
on the starboard beam, and sent her bodily to-
wards the stream to leeward ; and whilst we
were contemplating this result as almost inevi-
table, one of those whirlpools which are com-
mon in the vicinity of the Island of Resolution
caught us, and turning the ship round against
the helm, rendered her totally unmanageable.
This seemed to decide the matter ; and we must
infallibly have been carried into the already dense
pack, had not the breeze at that moment sud-
denly freshened, and forced us onwards towards
an opening a-head. About the same time
(3h a. m.), the eastern horizon cleared, so as just
to enable land to be seen much nearer than,
under these circumstances, was desirable ; for,
in that direction, with such a confusion of cross
currents, we had scarcely any control over the
ship, and the weather again thickened with rain,
which, with the thermometer at 31°, froze on

D

34 SAVAGE ISLANDS.

the rigging as it fell, and hung in icicles from
the boats and hammock-rails.

There was now no choice but to endeavour
to close the shore and get to windward of the
whole body of ice, and this having succeeded
after repeated trials in effecting, we continued
during the remainder of the forenoon running
at a moderate rate through sailing pieces, which
from their size there was little trouble in steer-
ing clear of. Observations could not be got,
but the dead reckoning placed us in latitude
61° 39' N., and some doubtful sights gave the
same latitude, and longitude 67° 7' "W«

The weather, which during the day had been
hazy, cleared towards the evening, and gave us a
distinct view of the bleak and snow-streaked
land, with several islands, which we conjectured
to be part of the group lying between the middle
and lower Savage Islands. The sea being very
calm the officers lowered a boat, and set off in
quest of the seals and loons which were swim-
ming about ; but a brace of the latter was the
only result of a considerable expenditure of
powder and shot. During the night, with a
light breeze heading us and the vessel close
hauled, I found to my surprise that, of course
under the influence of some current, the ship
had weathered, or, in other words, gone to the
westward so much, that I gladly kept under

SADDLEBACK. 35

weigh, passing between large pieces of ice with-
out inconvenience. The same thing continu-
ing the next day we found ourselves at noon, by
the observations, abreast of the middle Savage
Islands, and could see the extremes of land
from S. E. to N. N. E., the nearest being six or
seven miles distant. It was not, however, till
some hours had elapsed, that the remarkable
land called Saddle-back could be made out. At
this place, every vessel having occasion to visit
the straits has invariably fallen in with Esqui-
maux ; but, although we stood within a few
miles of the shore, none appeared, nor did we per-
ceive any trace of them, from whence I inferred
they had already made their annual barter with
the Hudson's Bay ships, and were gone into the
interior to hunt. About three in the afternoon
an iceberg, about forty feet high, and of very pic-
turesque form, suddenly, at the distance of about
a quarter of a mile from the ship, either toppled
over, or parted with a large mass detached from
its summit. The splash in the water, the
foam which succeeded, and the fearful rockings
of the berg before it again settled upon its base,
gave us some notion of the danger of a too close
neighbourhood on such occasions. The breeze
was lost as night drew on, and the usual calm
succeeded; but at llh p.m. a light air crept
along the water from the south, and having

d 2

36 DESCRY TWO VESSELS.

again set the studding-sails, by midnight we were
making some progress through the water.

Early on August 5th the ice, which for a brief
interval had disappeared in a manner altogether
unaccountable, was again reported to be a-head,
and we shortly found ourselves beset by it on all
sides, not, however, so compact as to stop us
altogether. In this we might be considered
fortunate, for, at 4h a. m., a ship and brig, sup-
posed to belong to the Hudson's Bay Company,
were observed working through heavy-packed
ice to leeward, the brig considerably a-stern of
the other. Our colours were immediately hoisted
at the mast-head, but were not answered ; and,
every moment being precious, I pushed on with-
out further notice of them, until about 7h a. m.
I was arrested, in my turn, by a continuous line
of the same pack, which it was now evident run
in towards, if not altogether to, the upper
Savage Islands. At first, the prospect of de-
tention seemed inevitable, but few things are
more uncertain than the navigation among ice,
and, however desperate the situation, there is
generally room for hope. So it turned out now
in our case ; for, when measures wrere about to
be taken to reduce sail, lanes of water were dis-
tinguished round the deep bay or inlet formed
within the upper Savage Islands ; and, although
the following of these lanes involved the ne-

DREARY ASPECT OF THE SAVAGE ISLANDS. 37

cessity of running towards a lee-shore with a wind
from the south ; yet rather than lose ground, as
the weather was extremely fine, and I had great
confidence in our resources, I determined on
making the attempt. In effecting this, we had
to pass within a short distance of the eastern
extremity of the bay, and had a distinct view of
the hills and valleys of the shore.

There were many rocks, more or less clad
with a dark and russety herbage unenlivened by
a single patch of green, and altogether as me-
lancholy and repulsive as fancy could conceive.
It was a place, in short, that even the sea-tired
mariner would scarcely leave his ship to visit.
The ice, it was gratifying to find, was entirely
of last winter's produce ; and, though sometimes
close and thick, offered but a weak resistance as
we bored our way through it. The tide also,
which was flowing, lent us its aid, dispersing the
ice so as to leave a clear lead almost to the farthest
point in view. Just as we had got abreast of a
large island, on which Sir E. Parry had landed
in 1821, and were looking at a cairn erected,
possibly by him, on its highest hill, we were in-
formed by the look-out man from the crow's-nest,
that a number of canoes had set off from a point
of the island and were making towards us. It
was some time before they were visible from the
deck, but fortunately for them the breeze at

d 8

38 VISITED BY ESQUIMAUX.

that moment moderating, between twenty and
thirty Keiyaks and three Oomiaks came up with
their noisy owners vociferating their accustomed
" Tima" or " Chimo," and " pilletay," till we
could scarcely hear each other's voices. These
were clearly apart of the Saddleback Esquimaux,
and began their traffic with the advantage of
practised traders, determined to make the best
of the market, Accordingly, no device or cun-
ning was left untried by them ; and in this re-
spect, at all events, it must fairly be confessed,
that they proved their superiority. They began
by offering the most trifling articles first, such as
seal-skin mittens and boots, of which many had
already seen service, and some were actually
patched; one pair of mittens particularly with old
blue cloth, which, however, the eager purchaser did
not perceive. When they were detected, their loud
laughter showed how greatly they enjoyed the
joke. Neither could they be prevailed upon to
part with bags of oil, or any thing else of real
value without something better in return than
the old iron hoop, which was all that 1 would
permit to be offered in exchange. The women,
in particular, were more outrageous than I had
ever observed before, for besides disposing of
their garments, which they never hesitated to do,
more than one actually offered to barter their
children for a few needles. In the rest of their

CREW TRAFFIC WITH THE ESQUIMAUX. 39

dealings, habits, and manners, more especially as
respects stealing, they fully verified the various
accounts that have already appeared in print :
for, though sentinels were posted at different
parts of the ship purposely to prevent pilfering,
and not one of them was allowed to come on
board, yet so dextrous were they that, in spite
of all our vigilance, they contrived to cut away
two or three fathoms of rope from alongside the
ship. When the crew had purchased what they
required, wearied with their incessant clamours,
I ordered the men on board, and bade our noisv
visiters leave us. Some, and among them the
women, obeyed, but many, principally young
men, lingered for some time about the ship,
singing, laughing, and shouting according to
their several fancies.

Having passed the island and opened the
North Bluff, a number of smaller and lower
islands became visible above the ice, showing the
place where Baffin had been in 1665. The wind
fell as it had done for some days past, at the com-
mencement of the ebb, about 3h p. m., but the
ship still going slowly a-head, without losing
ground or being obliged to make fast to ice,
cheered us with the hope of a satisfactory
progress. The night was cloudy and calm, with
sometimes a high flow of wind from different

d 4

40 DIFFICULT NAVIGATION.

quarters of the compass, and the ship more than
once came round against the helm and drove close
inshore. Fortunately the shore was bold and the
water deep, but an immediate effort was made
to get her round so as to be ready for .the first
air to stand farther off. At that time no lead
could be descried from the mast-head, whence
all in the direction of our course seemed to be
one compact body. Nevertheless, when towards
midnight a breeze sprung up from the south-
west the studding-sails were again set, and,
though we received an occasional hard thump,
we had the consolation to find that we were
creeping along the land ; a low point of which,
directly a-head, we were most anxious to get
round, from an impression that a clear space
would certainly be found to the westward of it.

The next day (August 6th) brought with it
an increase of wind, which enabled us to bore
through some heavy masses, one of which nearly
carried away the fluke of the best bower anchor.
The ship, indeed, struck with great force, break-
ing the smaller impediments and thrusting the
larcrer ones out of the channel, so as to make a
lane for herself; and having, at length, suc-
ceeded in rounding the low point already men-
tioned, and having found there, as had been
anticipated, a clearer space along shore, we fol-
lowed it, though not without difficulty. The

SECOND VISIT OF THE ESQUIMAUX. 41

winter line of ice was very apparent along the
beach, exactly as on the banks of lakes and broad
rivers in the interior of America. The height
was less than I should have supposed, and could
not have exceeded thirty feet from low-water
mark. It must, therefore, have been formed
during an unusually calm season ; for, even in
these inland situations, a rise of full twenty feet is
by no means uncommon.

We had a second visit from the Esquimaux,
with the same noisy bartering, the same cupidity,
and the same unnatural readiness to exchange
their children for a few needles or a saw. Es-
quimaux, indeed, will give any thing to procure
what they desire ; a laughable instance of which
was afforded by a young woman who, observing
that one of the officers had not much hair on his
head, immediately offered to supply him with
her own at the easy price of a curtain-ring. The
weather continued beautifully fine, with a tem-
perature of 35°, and the water 32° ; and, at noon,
the latitude was 62° 39' N. longitude, 70° 50' W.

For the remainder of this day and the next
we continued beating along the shore, wherever
a lane of water was to be found ; and such was
the strength of the current which set us in the
direction of our course, that, notwithstanding
the impediments by which we were beset, and a
wind for the most part heading us, we made

42 FALL IN THE BAROMETER.

satisfactory progress. We received, it is true,
some heavy thumps from the drift ice, but to
these we were now become familiarised. In the
early morning of the 8th, the wind having shifted
more to the west, we were enabled to make a
considerable advance ; but, about nine o'clock,
the scene was materially changed. We were
abreast of the five hillocks spoken of by Sir Ed-
ward Parry, when, instead of the enlivening view
of open water, which had just before greeted us,
nothing could now be discerned but one firmly
knitted pack of ice, stretching from the outer
point of the shore as far south as the horizon,
and forbidding even the hope of an opening in
any available direction. The barometer, too,
which of late had showed but very little varia-
tion, had fallen from 29° 8/ to 29° 54', and the
sky became dark and gloomy, snow fell, and the
wind blew half a gale from the N. N. W. What
small sails we had up were instantly taken in,
and the topsails reduced two reefs. But all our
efforts to hold on our course were unavailing ;
and as there happened to be a tolerably large
berg at no great distance, I determined to make
fast to it} as the only way of keeping to windward.
Accordingly, having run to leeward, a boat was
lowered, containing two ice-anchors and lines ;
and, while the most experienced of the crew
were employed in fixing these in the berg, on its

VESSEL MOORED TO AN ICEBERG. 4.3

shelving side, (for the other was perpendicular,)
the ship made a tack, until, upon signal, she
again dropped down and shot up to the very
edge of the berg. Then, sending out two strong
hawsers, which were affixed to the anchors, she
soon became safely moored ; and the sails were
furled.

Here we lay, snugly sheltered from the gale,
which now freshened, carefully watching how-
ever the slightest motion of the berg, lest, upon
some change of its equilibrium, it should topple
over, and so prove our destruction instead of
our safety. Nothing however occurred to dis-
turb us till about two o'clock of the following
morning, when a heavy floe drifted against the
berg, on the weather-side, with a violent shock.
For some minutes it seemed uncertain whether
the ponderous mass would not turn completely
over ; but, after many oscillations, a large piece
was supposed to have broken off from the south
western point, which, though it increased the
agitation for a time, seemed to have restored the
balance, and the mass again became stationary.
During this suspense, it will be easily believed
we were not idle ; for, not knowing how soon
we might be overwhelmed, the hawsers were in-
stantly veered away to eighty fathoms, and careful
hands stationed to cut the ropes in case the danger
became more imminent.

44 CREW EXERCISED AT SMALL ARMS.

As the day advanced the body of ice to wind-
ward was not found, as had been expected, to
have undergone any favourable alteration ; but
it was consoling to find by the bearings of the
land that we had rather gained than lost ground
by making fast to the berg, and it was evident
that, for the present, nothing better could be
done than to remain where we were. In the
mean time, as there was nothing to be appre-
hended for the safety of the ship, which lay
extremely easy under the lee, the crew, for
occupation, were exercised at small arms ; and,
considering that many of them had never had a
musket in their hands before, they acquitted
themselves very creditably. By the bearings of
a remarkable hill, N. 94° E., it was clear that
although we were certainly going slowly to the
northward and westward, yet we were setting
at the same time towards the shore. At 4h p. m.,
however, there was an apparent re-action in the
inshore body of ice, which now began to set
about S. S. E., and, to avoid being hemmed in,
it became necessary to cast off from the berg.
Having done so, we went under as easy sail as
the ice would allow between south and west ;
and, though we had now the mortification to
behold, from the mast-head, a continuous pack,
extending from what we took to be Broken Point
to south-west, yet, by carefully watching such

SOUNDINGS. 45

openings as offered themselves, and making more
sail on the ship, we succeeded in reaching a hole
of water; beyond this however there was no
outlet, and the ship was necessarily hove-to. At
daylight, the wind having veered to the south-
west, we bore up, and ran between the detached
ice as near as we could, though not without
many violent shocks that made the whole frame-
work of the ship tremble.

We continued all that day laboriously boring
our way through heavy streams of ice, or vainly
endeavouring to weather the larger masses, un-
der the disadvantage of a dense fog : but the
ship at length received so many blows, and the
ice closed so fast while we were continually
drifting to leeward, that it would have been rash
to have continued any longer the unequal and
profitless contest. I therefore made fast, with
an ice-anchor, to an adjoining floe, and, having
furled the sails, employed the men in making a
few necessary reparations. Soundings were ob-
tained with one hundred and twenty seven fathoms
of line, when the bottom was found to consist of
green mud, the current then setting N. W. by W.,
one mile an hour. Some observations for the dip
made on the ice, out of the sphere of the ship's
attraction, gave 85° 54'. At daybreak of the
11th, not the slighest alteration was perceptible,
except indeed that the north and west horizons

46 GEOLOGICAL INDICATIONS.

glared with refracted ice, now wedged into a
compact body. At noon, I regretted to find we
had drifted a few miles to the southward. Sound-
ings were then got with one hundred and twenty-
nine fathoms, and consisted of grey sand ; with
one hundred and fifty fathoms of line the current
set E. S. E., at the rate of two miles an hour ;
but the lead being hauled up to sixty-five fathoms,
an upper set was observed to be running north,
about half a mile an hour. On the floes were
found a quantity of stones and small fragments
of rocks, with deposits of yellow mud and a few
pieces of sea-weed. Some of the former were
rounded by attrition, as if they had been exposed
to the action of the waves on the beach, and
were composed of sienite and limestone, with
small crystals of quartz.

Towards evening the clouds gathered in the
north and the breeze freshened, bringing with it
occasional showers of snow, but without be-
tokening a favourable change for us ; and the
following day the appearance to windward was
most discouraging, for not a lane of water nor an
opening could be made out. Accordingly, as the
chance of advancing was diminished, it became
important at all events not to lose ground ; and a
lanrer floe having drifted near, we cast off from
our present holding, and made fast to it. It was
now ascertained that the larboard bow had sus-
tained injury, to the depth of three inches, from

REPAIR THE SHIP. 4<7

the force with which the ship had struck against
the ice in boring ; and having careened her, the
whole of the forenoon was employed in restoring
it with plank and a sheathing of iron. At noon
the observations made us six or seven miles to
the southward of yesterday's position, but at the
same time somewhat to the westward. We en-
deavoured to try the different dipping-needles ;
but after getting the instruments fixed, the ice
was found to move too much in azimuth, and
we were obliged to relinquish the attempt, The
floe to which we were attached, seemed to have
been formed by the pressure of many detached
pieces together, some of which were uplifted ten
or fifteen feet above the level of the general mass.
Several pools of excellent fresh water were found
on it ; and this being a good opportunity to fill
the empty tanks, the ship was warped alongside
and with the assistance of the engine, the task
was soon completed. The officers amused them-
selves with shooting, and bagged two or three
brace of dovekies, which after being skinned and
steeped for a time in water, were made into sea
pies, and pronounced very excellent eating.
They also endeavoured to kill some seals, which
continually popped their heads out of the water
with apparent curiosity, gazing stupidly at those
who were about to destroy them. But though
it is certain they were hit, and often on the head,

48 IMPEDED BY FOG AND ICE.

yet in no instance could they be secured before
they sunk.

About 4h p m., though it was still perfectly
calm, the ice began to set past the ship to the
south-east, at an unusual rate, and then, by a
counter-movement, closed in around us so quickly
as to compel us to move, by warping on the
other side of the floe. A very light air then
sprung up from the S.S.W., but gradually got
more to the westward, accompanied as usual by
a dense fog ; and at nightfall it was remarked
that young ice was rapidly forming between the
stationary pieces.

On the 13th the fog still continued, and it
had again fallen calm ; but the floes near us
being large and hummocky, we cast off from the
ice, and sending a boat a-head, along such open-
ings as could be found, made fast a line to pro-
jecting masses or hummocks, and so warped the
ship to the north. A faint breeze from the right
quarter fortunately came to our aid, and enabled
us to make sail on the vessel, and dispense with
this laborious substitute. The ice, however,
was distressingly close and heavy, and no clear
water could be seen in any direction. The wea-
ther indeed remained continually hazy, and so
prevented us from distinguishing the right, or in-
deed any, lead beyond the distance of two hundred
yards. My object was to force a passage to the

ship's progress through the ice. 49

north, from a conviction that, as we got nearer
to the shore, the influence of the tides would be
more felt, and more open water thereby created,
or at least that the ice would be lighter : for such
heavy and extensive masses as we now encoun-
tered were contrary to the experience of all who
had gone before us, and I could only suppose
that the ice had not been broken up at all last
year, but, having come down in a body, created
our present impediment. At noon the latitude
was obtained on a small floe, and made us within
a mile of yesterday's situation. The sun shone,
brightly through the mist ; and though, owing
to the radiation of heat from the decks and bul-
warks, there was no perceptible dampness below,
yet the rigging aloft was coated with fine icy
particles, which, being viewed from the crow's-
nest, presented the appearance of a prismatic
halo resting in the concavity of the fore-topsail.
The wind at length freshened precisely as we
wished it, and the ship, with her studding-sails
set, bored between masses often more than half
a mile in length, resisting the pressure, and
driving pieces before her in a manner perfectly
surprising, and no sooner had she made a way
for herself than the icy portals closed firmly, and,
as it seemed, impassably behind her. At length
the entire body ahead looked like one compact
hummocky field, streaked with a few dark lines

E

50 ship's progress through the ice,

of unequal breadth ; boring through which, we
seemed to be, as it were, ploughing a furrow
towards the north. Advancing in this manner,
I was glad to see that there was, a few miles off,
ice of a looser kind ; and no effort was left unprac-
tised to reach it. Just as we were on the very
point of succeeding, two floes were attracted, or
driven by a current together, and effectually
jammed us in. Happily the breeze at the same
moment freshened ; and, after some delay, in
which the floe of last winter's formation began
to crack and yield, while that of the previous
season remained firm as a rock, the ship, break-
ing a large mass away and forcing it before
her bluff bows, cleared a passage through. It
would be a tedious repetition to relate all the
trouble and anxiety that we experienced in forcing
through the heavy barrier, which, I am of opi-
nion, hangs about this part of the strait from
the influence of opposing currents issuing, the
one from the north, probably through the open-
ing formed by Broken Point, and the others from
between the islands to the south. The influ-
ence of the same barrier, I apprehend, aided by
easterly gales, produces the interruption occa-
sionally met with by the Hudson Bay ships on
their homeward passage, and which but a short
time ago compelled them to winter in the
country. However this may be, we were heartily

SALISBURY ISLAND. 51

glad to get out of the thick of it, which, though
still hampered on every side by small floes and
drift masses, we now considered ourselves as
having achieved. As we advanced to the north-
west, the lanes and holes of water increased; but
the weather continuing hazy, with intermittent
showers of snow, and the night gloomy, and
consequently darker than usual, the smaller sails
were taken in, and, running securely under top-
gallant sails, we kept on a devious course through
the ice.

Early on the 14th, during a partial clearance
of the clouds to the west, some of the people
fancied they saw land, which, according to the
bearing, could be no other than Salisbury Island ;
and, in the forenoon, the wind then blowing
fresh, land was reported on the lee-bow, which
our reckoning made the north coast of the
strait, in longitude 760 5& W., to the eastward of
the Nottingham Island of Sir E. Parry, or Mill
Islands of Arrowsmith. It was evident there-
fore that our progress had been very favour-
able ; and, if a passage were to be effected this
autumn, I felt assured that we were now in the
best channel for accomplishing it. Having stood
within three miles of the land, the ship was put
round, and directions given to work to wind-
ward along shore. The first appearance which
the coast presented was a round-backed hill,,

e 2

52 SHIP FOLLOWED BY ESQUIMAUX.

which, as seen through the haze, seemed isolated,
but as we neared it proved to be part of a low
island. There were several others almost in a
line with it, all presenting the same sombre as-
pect which characterised the coast generally,
except one, which was relieved by a light yellow
colour as of sand, but which, on inspection with
a telescope, was found to be rock. The land
behind the islands was tolerably high, and bold,
broken into bluffs and points, and, from its in-
dented shape, probably formed some good har-
bours.

The ship was now going at the rate of five
knots through the water, when two Esquimaux
kieyaks were seen endeavouring to overtake us ;
presently the wind becoming more fair the stud-
ding-sails and royals were set, and the speed of
course increased. The poor Esquimaux never-
theless paddled away with all their might, and
finally succeeded in coming up with us, though
almost in a state of exhaustion. They had little
to offer except the horn of a narwal ; and, after
receiving a few bits of iron hoop, they went awray
but ill compensated for the fatigue which they
had undergone.

About 6 p. m. the weather became very thick,
and snow fell so abundantly as completely to
cover the decks and boats. The wind also
changed to the north, so that we could no

LAND DISCOVERED. 53

longer lie our course ; and, not knowing ex-
actly how near Mill Islands might be, or, from
the amazing difference in the variation, whether
wre might not be actually standing on them, the
small sails were taken in and the topsails reefed,
and, with the anchors ready to let go, we
proceeded with the utmost caution. That we
were near to the land wras certain, but none
could be distinguished through the haze, either
to windward or leeward, and we literally groped
our wray in much uncertainty, and not without
some anxiety. The wind also increased to such a
degree that the ship was put under snug canvass,
and, for the first time since leaving the Atlantic,
there was a regular sea, and consequently no
continuous ice. The next morning brought no
change for the better, for the wind was accom-
panied by snow, and that, with the haze, so em-
barrassed us, that it was difficult to determine
in what direction to proceed. However, when
daylight broke the ship was put about ; and we
had the pleasure of seeing that the head sea
which tumbled us about was at the same time
fast reducing the ice into fragments.

Akout 7h A« m. land was discovered, forming a
semicircle to windward, and which, guided by
the log, we conjectured to be Seahorse Point of
Baffin, on Southampton Island. The distance
certainly seemed rather more than the ship was

e 3

S4> PERPLEXITY OF SHIP'S COURSE.

in the habit of accomplishing ; and what added
to the uncertainty was, the incomprehensible
manner in which the islands had been passed
(if passed at all) without having been seen. The
mountains — for such they appeared through the
haze — were nearly covered with snow, the effect
of the preceding night ; and some small islands
could be indistinctly made out. Our course was
held parallel to them, in the hope, rather than
the persuasion, that they would terminate in the
point which was to lead us to Frozen Strait ; but,
about llh a. m., we suddenly found ourselves em-
bayed, and, from the still prevailing murkiness,
had barely time to get the ship round ; when it
was indisputably ascertained that the coast tended
far to the east. Under these perplexing cir-
cumstances, I determined not to incur any risk
which might endanger the safety of the ship,
and directed her to be kept, under easy sail, close
under the lee of the high land just mentioned,
until the weather should be clear enough to
justify me in acting differently. It was for-
tunate that I did so ; for, having obtained the
latitude at noon, and the longitude soon after-
wards, we found, much to our astonishment, that
we were not near Southampton Island at all, but
had been deceived by great deviation in the
compasses, and a powerful current, which had
driven us along the eastern side of Mill Islands,
and thence to the main shore of the strait* where

DEVIATION OF COMPASS. £>5

in fact we had been embayed. However, we
must have passed between the islands during the
night, though how, or in what direction remained
a mystery ; and we were thankful, as we had
reason to be, for our happy guidance among
them. In' the afternoon the sky became more
clear; and it was then apparent, that though un-
der a press of sail, we could not stem the current,
which at that time (711 p. m.) was carrying us
bodily away to the south and east. The variation
of the compass with the ship's head N. W. was
found to be six and a half points, but when
N.E. only three and a half. At 10h p. m. we
were to leeward of our afternoon's position,
and stood in again for the main.

After beating about between Mill Islands and
the north shore all night, we found ourselves in
the morning, the 16th, still to leeward of the
former, and utterly unable to make head against
the current. Near noon, being then within a
mile of the shore, we could perceive a strong
race, within which was an eddy sweeping the
ice about in a furious manner. At the line of
its junction with the regular tide there was a fall
produced of at least three or four feet, which
hid all but the upper surface of the ice near it.
My object had been to get close in shore, from
an impression that we should be less opposed by
the current there than further out j but, as either

E 4

56 TRINITY ISLES.

current or tide was now driving us fast towards
the land, it became necessary to tack, and try
our fortune once more in the offing. It was
evident that no ordinary cause could thus have
detained us two days with a commanding breeze;
and I began to think that nothing but a fair
wind would release us, when suddenly the ship
took a start, and just as unaccountably went
away in mid channel, hurrying us in a short time
abreast of the Trinity Isles of Fox. The north
shore was partially covered with the snow that
had lately fallen ; all that could be seen consisted
of solid and barren rock, entirely destitute of
herbage, or, as far as I could judge, of any thing
capable of supporting life. Not an inhabitant,
nor even an animal or bird was seen.

By 4h p. m. the islands were upwards of ten
miles astern, when the breeze left us, and we
obtained soundings in one hundred and twenty-
three fathoms, the bottom consisting as usual
of blue mud. Soon after we had snow, and
the barometer began to fall. Hardly had the
necessary reduction been made in the sails,
when the wind increased to a fresh gale,
which speedily brought us to the edge of some
heavy ice. The whole of the night was occu-
pied in endeavouring to twine our way through
it; and although in the morning of the 17th,
from its detached appearance hopes were excited
that the interruption would not be of long con-

SHIP HOVE-TO. 57

tinuance, yet the favourable breeze soon brought
in sight an enormous floe, the extremes of which
were lost in the driving snow and mist. Un-
willing to try the north end of it, as that would
have led us again to the eastward, in which di-
rection it trended as far as could be discerned,
I determined on running along its lee side. This
was almost in the direction of our course, but,
as it turned out, conducted us into a labyrinth,
that might have been of serious consequence
had the wind at all abated ; for, after sailing for
some time, we found ourselves between two floes
of unknown extent ; and though if the weather
had been clear we might perhaps have found a
passage, yet with every thing dark a-head, and
the liability to be nipped by the closing of the
ice, no such chance could be trusted to. Not
a moment therefore was lost in worming our
way back, which after some trouble and anxiety
was accomplished.

An attempt was then made in another * lead ',
which only guided us to a solid pack ; so that,
baffled at every turn, the ship was for a time
hove-to. As soon as the weather cleared — which
it did with a change of wind, directly contrary
to our progress, but the very best for sepa-
rating and clearing away the ice — we took
the only course left to us, and beat to wind-
ward, towards a narrow opening, which it was
thought might possibly offer a channel. Snow

58 WHALES.

had fallen, which, after being partially thawed on
the decks, was there solidly frozen — a result to
be expected with a temperature of 29° + • Land
was supposed to have been seen, in the direction
of Southampton Island ; but, in the absence of
good observations, no reliance was placed on
the report. Persevering in plying to windward,
amongst the heaviest drift ice I had ever be-
held, it was not without great difficulty, and at
a great sacrifice of distance, that the innume-
rable masses surrounding vis could be steered
clear of; nor was this always the case, since, in
spite of all our care, the ship would sometimes
drive on them with a concussion that made all
the bells ring, and almost threw those below from
their chairs. Two whales, the first seen since
our arrival in these latitudes, excited the curi-
osity of the novices, but did not produce among
the Greenland sailors the enthusiasm which I
remember to have observed with much pleasure
on a former occasion. At that time they ran
up the rigging, and followed every motion of the
whale with the most unequivocal symptoms of
delight ; and one of their number, unable to
contain his joy at seeing the monstrous creature
heave its bulk partly out of the water, cried out
in ecstasy, " There she goes, my boys, tail up
for Greenland." The next morning two other
whales were seen.

The remainder of the day was employed in

SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND. 59

the tedious manner already described ; and in the
night the ship, having little head-way, ran against,
or rather dropped broadside on, a floe, from
which she could not be removed without the aid
of a warp, which was accordingly carried out to
a projecting point. The land of Southampton
Island was now distinctly made out, bearing by
compass N. W. -g-N., but far away. Both com-
passes were more than commonly sluggish, and
required constant tapping ; a phenomenon which
was observed to be more palpable with the ship's
head west, than on any other point.

The next day (August 18.), after beating to
windward slowly till noon, the ice became so
close that there was but one hole of water to
work in ; nearer the land, which was now visible
from the deck, looking like blue hills, it appeared
to be somewhat looser, but as it was not suffi-
ciently so to allow of our reaching it, we were
compelled to go wherever the least chance of an
opening presented itself. At length we came
to a solid and unbroken pack, of such fearful
extent as to throw a sudden damp on our hopes.
It looked, from the crow's-nest, as if it were
joined to the land, and stretching thence, west
and north, glared in one undivided mass to the
utmost limits of the sight. To the south and east
the prospect was little better, rendering it doubt-
ful whether, in a case of necessity, a passage

60 COURSE OBSTRUCTED BY

could have been found in that direction. The
most experienced of the seamen (many of whom
had spent their lives in the Greenland trade)
declared they had never beheld such heavy ice,
and were confident that it had never been broken
up. To me, however, it seemed to consist of
numerous floes, but so wedged together as to be
utterly impassable, not only by a ship but in any
way ; for so ragged and piled up was the entire
surface, that the height of the ridges frequently
exceeded fifteen feet, and no human being could,
by any exertion, have travelled over it for more
than a short distance. To those who were un-
accustomed to polar navigation nothing could
be more discouraging; for it required more than
ordinary strength of mind not to be persuaded
that, in this direction at least, a limit was now
put to our progress. Those, however, who had
experience of the singular uncertainty of the
navigation in these seas, looked forward to the
accidents of the coming night — the change of
wind, the tide or current, or some of those un-
accountable circumstances which, in a few hours
even of entire calm, create so sudden and mar-
vellous a change in the scene. Still, it was
a situation to call forth our most active energies ;
and, though resolved to persevere by this route
as long as the remotest chance was offered of
success, yet I could not conceal from myself the

ENORMOUS RIDGES OF ICE. 61

striking difference of the season which Sir E.
Parry had experienced in passing through this
channel, where he speaks of the weather as fine,
and even mild ; whilst we, on the contrary, were
regaled with constant snow, and had the ther-
mometer at 28° + . We soon worked through
the remaining part of the open space ; and all
speculations of the chance of a further progress
being at an end, the ship was made fast to the
floe. At the same time, soundings were tried for
with three hundred fathoms, but without effect.
The night was cloudy, and almost calm ; but
shortly after midnight of August 19th, many
large pieces of ice, near the pack, were observed
to be drifting away to the south-west, at the
estimated rate of half a mile an hour ; and at
3h 30° a. m., finding we were likely to be hemmed
in, the ship was cast off from the ice, and, by
means of lines carried out and attached to pro-
jecting masses, warped towards the north-east,
where alone there seemed to be a lane of water.
In an hour the desired spot was gained ; and, as
there was every appearance, from the darkness
of the sky, of a continued channel, sail was im-
mediately made on the ship, and, to the surprise
and joy of all, the impediment was found to have
yielded to a greater power, and a path opened
through what seemed an impenetrable barrier.
Such are the strange incidents of polar navi-

62 OBSTRUCTION BY THE ICE,

gation, which, though less striking than the wild
commotions of the earthquake or tornado, are at
all events calculated to excite equal gratitude to
that merciful Providence whose protecting care
is over all his works, — in the icy waste no less
than in the thronged city. For two or three hours
the sun struggled in vain with the mist, which
enveloped sky and ice, still we met with no
hindrance ; and, having made a few tacks to avoid
the large drift pieces, at noon we were still ad-
vancing to the north, the latitude, as obtained
on a floe, being 64° 57' N., the variation 52° W.
At length however the mist dispelled, and with
it the hopes in which we had been indulging.
A glance satisfied us that our further progress
would be very short. The breeze had died
away, and allowed the ice to pack afresh. Not
a lane, not a hole of water was to be seen in
any direction but the one just passed ; and again,
most reluctantly, were we compelled to secure
the ship to a floe.

August 20th. Though the night was gene-
rally calm, yet a motion in the ice, and the
suspicious approach of a large floe, which
seemed to threaten a squeeze, induced us to
cast off and warp a little to the south ; where we
once more made fast to the same extensive
piece of ice. The morning gave no sign of a
favourable change, and the crew were exercised,

VARIATION IN COMPASSES. 63

on the floe, in firing at a mark. About llh a.m.
an attempt was made by hauling the ship to an
outer point of the floe, and making all sail ; but
the light air was very faint, and she barely
glided through the water. Observations, at
noon, gave the latitude 65° O'V N., longitude
80° 44/ W., and variation 57° W.; which was
so far satisfactory as showing that no ground
had been lost. The compasses continued to be
very sluggish ; indeed so much so, that, on one
occasion, the larboard one showed the ship's
head to be south, while that of the starboard
made it north. The wind soon died away al-
together ; and none springing up, as had usually
before been the case, with the declining sun we
again moored to a floe for the night. The men
amused themselves by a riotous game of leap-frog
on the ice ; and the disaster of one of the officers,
who, in crossing a point covered with snow, fell
through and took a cold bath, excited a hearty
laugh.

During the night, which was perfectly calm,
young ice formed entirely around us. A month
later this circumstance might have given me
some uneasiness ; but now it was deemed of con-
sequence only as adding to the delay and abridg-
ing the time which we hoped to employ in
the more interesting objects of the expedition.
Unless, indeed, this seasor. were to be very dif-

64 SHIP IMBEDDED IN ICE.

ferent from all others recorded of the climate, I
felt assured that the customary westerly winds
would sooner or later prevail ; and that, under
their influence, the body of ice which now inter-
rupted our progress would open a passage for
us. None, however, were insensible to the
annoyance of our position, thus hampered, and
as it were fixed in a bed of ice ; and a burst of joy
followed the announcement, from the * crow's-
nest,' of an appearance of water towards the
N. N. E. By warping and hauling till we reached
the ' lead,' and then carrying studding-sails till we
had exhausted it, some little way was gained ;
and at noon, though the latitude was much
the same as yesterday, the longitude differed.
Through the remainder of the day we went on
struggling with the ice, tacking continually to
weather or avoid the floes, and praying for a
breeze, but praying in vain. A few whales and
narwals alone relieved the monotony of the
scene ; and night found us again attached to a
floe, and lying motionless and dark on the bright
bosom of the icy wilderness.

About 2h a. m., August 22d, a light air came
from the north-west, of which immediate ad-
vantage was taken ; and leaving the floe, we got,
by the aid of warping, into a ' lead.' Studding-
sails were soon hoisted, and the ship was forced
through the close ice for a time, and thus soon

0CHR1SH-C0L0URED ICE. ()5

again obliged to have recourse to the lines, was
at last brought into comparatively open water*
The conduct of both officers and men in this
arduous and irksome service deserved all praise ;
and their exertions were not altogether without
reward, for the land supposed to be Cape Com-
fort was evidently further off; and, at noon, this
conjecture was confirmed by the increase of lati-
tude, which was 65° <25' N., the longitude being
81° 0e8' W. Hitherto my endeavour had been to
follow the leads, in the hope of being brought
out into open water ; but now, as none was in
sight, I determined on steering directly towards
Frozen Strait, and, singular to say, the ice opened
as we advanced, though but half an hour pre-
vious it was tightly pressed together. As the
day drew in, the southern horizon became dark
and cloudy, sending what had been long ardently
desired, a south west wind. The effects of this
were soon conspicuous in the ice ahead, which
now began to part into holes and lanes, and en-
couraged a hope among the more sanguine that
we were, at length, near the edge of that vast
body which had so long detained us. It was
remarkable that the whole of the ice, whether
detached or compact, floe or drift, was of a dirty
ochrish colour, totally unlike any which we had
seen before, and must therefore have been close
to the land. The middle of the night being

F

66 BAFFIN AND SOUTHAMPTON ISLANDS.

now dark, we necessarily ran foul of many a
piece of ice, and got some violent knocks ; but,
depending on the strength of the ship, I could
not forego the pleasure of pushing on while a
chance remained, and we continued to thread
our tortuous way as well as the faint gleam from
the ice allowed us to pick it out.

It was with considerable satisfaction that,
at 4h a. m. of the 23d, I heard the announce-
ment of Baffin Island bearing N. N. W., and
shortly afterwards that the land of Southampton
Island was made out to the westward. Had there
only been a channel, even as wide as a brook,
we should soon have got to the strait ; but the
scene around us now presented an apparently
solid sea of ice, thrown up in many parts to the
height of eighteen feet, and so ragged, peaked,
and uneven, as to bid defiance to any attempt
even to walk over it. Had it been composed of
mere drift-ice, which is invariably detached by a
strong breeze, there would have been more en-
couragement ; but the limits of the enormous
floes surrounding us could not be discerned, and
it was absolutely marvellous that we should be
able to penetrate it at all ; yet, at noon, we were
still moving slowly ; and the observations (for
the weather was beautifully clear) gave the lati-
tude 65° 42', longitude 82° 41' W„ variation
49° 5%' W. The southerly wind now freshened,

CHEERLESS PROSPECT. 67

and, despite of increasing obstacles, we continued
to gain a few yards. Warping was next resorted
to ; but at last all failed us, and at 3h p. m. we
were compelled to give up the attempt as utterly
hopeless. Cheerless, indeed, was the prospect ;
for, excepting within a few feet of the ship,
where the black streaks of water looked like
inky lines on a fair sheet of paper, far as the
eye could reach all was ice. Soundings were
obtained in one hundred and two fathoms, and
showed a muddy bottom. The tide had little or no
effect here ; but about 7h **• M«> a large floe having
exhibited symptoms of moving round so as to
nip us, the sails were again hoisted, and the
ship forced ahead about her own length, when
immediately the small opening we had quitted was
closed up. It was evident that we were equally
secure under canvass as without ; and as it was
possible that so long as the ship could be kept
the right way something might be gained, we
kept the sails full, and at long intervals she
moved some twenty or thirty yards, and again
stopped. As the breeze grew fainter more sail
was set and still forced her onwards ; but at day-
break of the 24th, no change taking place, we
were once more set fast, and after two hours'
warping, and wedging the ship next to a large
floe, which had been seen ahead, we found our-
selves instantly hemmed in by the surrounding

f 2

68 YELLOW-COLOURED SNOW.

masses. Baffin's Island was yet in sight, about
twenty-four miles off; but we had drifted a little
to the north of it. I may remark here, that
having procured some of the yellow-coloured
snow, it was found to be caused by innumerable
small grains of earth ; a convincing proof that
the immense quantity passed must have been in
the immediate neighbourhood of the shore, and
had, in all probability, drifted down from the
north.

No other alteration occurred during the day
than the setting of the whole body of ice to the
eastward, though at too moderate a rate to carry
us far away ; but about 3h of the morning of
August 25th, the masses around us seemed
something more apart ; and after some warping,
which brought us to the edge of a floe, where, as
is generally the case, the ice was less pressed
together, we made sail, and " bored" through
towards the south-west, in the hope of getting
nearer to Southampton Island. The wind, how-
ever, on which we depended, veered more to
the eastward, and at the same time becoming
lighter, allowed the ice to pack again ; so that,
after many fruitless trials, we were forced to
desist, and soon lost all traces of water. The
weather was and had been for some days past
extraordinarily fine ; the thermometer at mid-
day being 42° + , in the sun, and 36° + , in the

PICTURESQUE SCENE. 69

shade. The hours were passed in a feverish
state of excitement, and many an upward glance
was cast at the little vane at the mast-head ; but
all was calm, and the wonder was, not how we
were to get on, but how we had contrived to
get here. Towards evening a light air, together
with a " slack " among the ice, allowed a trifling
distance to be made ; but at sunset we were
stopped near to an extensive floe, where, from
the effects of pressure, some ponderous masses
had been heaped up, like Titanian ruins, to the
height of thirty feet. The land, blue from dis-
tance, and beautifully soft as contrasted with the
white cold glare of the interminable ice around,
reflecting by the setting sun the tints of the inter-
vening masses thrown into the most picturesque
groups and forms — spires, turrets, and pyramids,
many in deep shade — presented altogether a
scene sufficient for a time to cheat the imagina-
tion, and withdraw the mind from the cheerless
reality of our situation. It was past 4h a. m. of
August 26th before the ship could, even by the
use of warps, be forced ahead ; and then weari-
some indeed was the task. A mile at the utmost
rewarded our exertions ; and the wind having
veered round more to the north-east, the entire
body of ice swept down upon us, and the im-
minent peril of being nipped was only avoided
by the cativity of the officers and crew in heav-

f 8

70 PERILOUS SITUATION.

ing the ship into a sort of basin, formed by two
projecting points of the nearest floe. Here we
were again set fast. A summer's day, with the
thermometer at 44° + in the sun, and a bright
and cloudless sky, made us deplore more than
ever our mortifying detention during weather
so advantageous for work along the coast with
our boats. But not the slightest improvement
took place in our condition ; though at long
intervals the mournful crashing of the young ice,
as yielding to the larger masses it was thrown
up in solid foam, gave token that all was in mo-
tion. There was no wind, and evidently but
little tide or current, for the bearings and dis-
tance from the land remained nearly as they
were yesterday ; still there was an occasional
stir, and the pressure against the ship was de-
cidedly increased. About midnight, though still
calm, this became more perceptible by additional
pieces of ice being squeezed against the bows
and between the larboard side and the floe to
which we were secured, producing thereby a
heavy strain on the hawser, and threatening to
force the stern against what had hitherto been
a security, a projecting point. Another strong
hawser was therefore carried out and fixed to an
ice-anchor ahead, and being hove tight by the
windlass, materially relieved the strain upon the
other. Preparations were, at the same time,

WHITE WHALES. 71

going on to unhang the rudder, which, in the
event of the ship's coming astern, must have
struck the floe and been carried away.

Until past 1 a. m. (August 27th), we remained
in suspense, which was then relieved by the ice
returning again to its former position, and giving
us an opportunity to warp closer to the floe. An
attempt was made to remove some of the smaller
masses from between the ship and the floe ; but
notwithstanding repeated trials with all the re-
sources in our power, we were completely baffled.
Strange too at this late season, the breeze once
more came from the south-east, though the
height of the barometer indicated a totally differ-
ent result ; and there was no hope for us until
the faithless wind should round to the north-
west. During the whole of the day and follow-
ing night, the breeze blew freshly. Four white
whales were seen playing about sunset in a pool
ahead, and remained undeterred by our cries,
apparently enjoying the only breathing place for
many a league around. In the night there was
a great pressure against the bows, and a severe
strain upon the hawsers. In the morning of
August 28th this abated, but in its stead the
entire body became more closely packed than
ever ; and the ship, having to bear a great re-
sistance from the upturned pieces against her

f 4

72 WINTER ISLAND.

sides, gradually lay over to starboard, being, in
the technical phrase, slightly nipped.

I had thought it not unlikely that the force
of the wind might possibly have turned round
some of the heavy remote ice, and thereby have
left a little clear space for the removal of that
near us ; but it must have been wedged against
the coast or among the islands which were
visible (Winter Island among the rest) from the
crow's nest. Appearances, indeed, were more
unpromising than we had yet experienced ; and
our devotions of that day (for it was Sunday)
were tinged with an humble hope that we should
shortly be released from our anxious situation.
Rain fell occasionally, and towards evening the
wind veered round to the south-west, directly
off the floe, affording one other chance of re-
moving the ice along the western shore, if any
unoccupied space were left in that quarter. The
effect on the ship was sensibly felt by her being
forced more over to starboard ; and during the
early part of the night, she was lifted up by the
stern in consequence of several loose pieces of
ice having got under her counter. On the fol-
lowing day (the 29th), the strain on the haw-
sers was as much as they could bear ; and as
little or no motion could be detected in the
ice, it was attributed to the tide or current,
which, however* scarcely altered our position.

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MOVEMENT OF THE ICE. 73

In the forenoon the barometer had gone down
unusually low ; and as on former occasions this
had been invariably followed by a southerly
breeze, the same result was apprehended now ;
much to our relief, however, the wind blew with
some strength from the north-west, bringing with
it a prospect of release ; and though, packed
as the whole body south and east of us was sup-
posed to be, this could only be a work of time,
yet sanguine ideas were immediately entertained
of yet reaching our destination early enough to
do something this season. At noon, according
to the observations, we were within two miles
of the same spot ; but the effect of the wind was
shown by two or three partial openings near
the ship ; and, as early as 5 o'clock, a general
movement of the ice began. It came from the
westward, and immense quantities skirting the
extremity of the larger -floe to which we were
secured, and bearing down close upon us, were
there caught within the circle of an eddy, and
shortly swept away to the eastward. It is need-
less to say with how much pleasure so joyful a
sight was hailed, and how sincerely we prayed
that both the cause and effect might continue
until a passage should be cleared to the Frozen
Strait. The night was dark, with frequent squalls
and snow ; but on the morning of the 30th, the
ice was found to be still drifting in the same

74 SEVERE PRESSURE OF ICE.

direction, and the pieces were thought to be
considerably smaller and lighter ; still there was
no continuous 'lead' of which advantage could be
taken. As the day advanced, and the breeze be-
came more southerly and moderate, little further
effect was produced on the ice. At noon, the ob-
servations made us rather to the southward ; and
as the ice appeared inclined to return from that
quarter, and the wind was drawing gradually to
the eastward, it was necessary to make sail and
get as far as the openings would allow. This
was speedily accomplished; and, with much
trouble from the closing of the ice, we contrived
to gain a mile or two from the floe, which had
been left, and found ourselves again brought
to a full stop, and in a more awkward situation
than before. Warps were immediately put into
requisition ; and with the aid of the capstan the
ship was wedged between the opposing masses,
until finding less obstruction the sails once more
pressed her onwards. The severity of the shocks
as we encountered the ice, notwithstanding our
familiarity with them, was on this occasion ab-
solutely startling. But there was no help for it,
nor any other chance of getting on ; for the
channel we ploughed before us closed ere the
ship had gone twice her length, and cut off all
retreat, even had retreat been thought of.

To complete the catalogue of annoyances the

i

SINKING OF THERMOMETER, J 5

breeze veered directly east, and came charged
with abundance of snow, which fell incessantly,
and filling up the hollows and crevices of the
ice, baulked the sight by an appearance of uni-
formity. As the wind was fresh, we might
possibly, with the advantage of daylight for se-
lecting the right * leads,' have got well in with
the land ; but this the night frustrated, and
having pushed on till 10 o'clock, p. m., we were
unable to get farther ; still the topsails and fore-
sail were kept hoisted and set, in the hope that
on the turn of tide an opening might be made.

August 31st came, but with no friendly aspect,
for snow fell thick and fast, and the thermometer
sunk to 26° + , accelerating the formation of
young, and serving to cement the old ice, in an
alarming manner. However about 4 a. m., a
kind of ' slack ' was observed, and, after four
hours' labour, it was conjectured that one mile
of distance had been gained. Then being again
stopped, and not a pool of water in sight, the
sails were partly taken in. The hour arrived
when it was expected that the tide might have
some beneficial effect in loosening the wedged
masses, but arrived in vain : so the useless sails
were furled ; and in the midst of increasing snow,
and the worst and dreariest weather that could
have befallen us, we submitted in silence to
what no human power could control. At sun-

76 WATER SKY.

set the sky became clear, and Baffin Island was
seen bearing N. 87° W., and a hill on Southamp-
ton Island S. 41° W. ; a water sky * too was re-
ported to the south-west, but scarcely succeeded
in again cheating us into hope. The night was
more than ordinarily cold, for the temperature
of the air was only 19° + , and that of the water
23° + : an omen as gloomy as unlooked for at
this early season, when Sir E. Parry, in the
same latitude, was enjoying almost the warmth
of summer. But the startling fact could not be
concealed from ourselves, that the rigour of a
precocious winter was thrust upon us, at the
moment when we were almost in sight of our
port.

* Produced by the dark vapour from the water, and used
in opposition to " ice-blink."

77

CHAP. II.

Steer for Southampton Island. — Conjectures respecting the
Ice. — Islands. — Pressure of the Wind. — Ship immove-
able. — Cutting away the Ice. — Snotv. — Drifting towards
Land. — Accident to Rudder. — Aspect of contiguous Coast.

— New Moon. — Recreations of the Crew. — Chase of a
Bear. — Hawser carried away by Ice. — Icebound in sight
of Land. — Wind veers to South-west. — Prospect of Re-
lease. — Hopes disappointed. — Ship driven nearer Land.

— Mr. Gore shoots a Fox. — Ship in extreme Peril. —
Frightful Increase of Pressure. — Providential Delivery. —
Exploring Expedition. — A Dock cut in the Ice. — Con-
sultation of Officers. — Rapid Destruction of the Floe. —
Bow of the Ship split. — Hopes of progressing baffled.

This detention, so irksome to the officers, though,
as it seemed, little regarded by the men, continued
throughout the forenoon of the 1st September,
the observations at noon showing no perceptible
difference in our situation, which, considering
the manner that the Hecla and Fury* were
whirled about in the same place, is another proof
of the capriciousness of polar navigation.

The wind, however, gradually drew round to
the westward of north ; yet, though tolerably
fresh, it was long before it made the smallest
impression on the ice. At last at 5 p. m. the

* See Parry's Narrative.

78 STEER FOR SOUTHAMPTON ISLAND.

cemented masses near us suddenly broke asunder,
and disentangled the ship from the thin crust
that had surrounded her. This change, which
was evidently the effect of the breeze, was gra-
tifying, as showing that three days' continuation
of it would, in all probability, clear the whole of
Frozen Strait, and, as it was, a clear channel on
the following day was confidently anticipated.
During the first part of the night, the wind con-
tinued to blow freshly; but early on the following
morning it moderated, and the ice at once
returned to its former position ; yet again, about
6 a. m., with unaccountable eccentricity, the
entire body half a mile round was in agitation.
Prompt to seize the lucky moment, we warped
to a spot where the sails could be advan-
tageously used, and, contrary to all the ex-
pectations of but an hour before, found ourselves
making headway. As the day grew clearer
the same dark-bluish grey clouds were observed
in precisely the same bearing as had been noted
two days ago, strengthening the opinion already
expressed that they were the certain signs of
open water. Fortunately the * leads/ narrow and
hampered as they were, took a direction towards
the desired point, and allowed us to hold a course
directly for Southampton Island, which I was the
more eager to attain, from a conviction in my own
mind that a passage existed along shore, close in

CONJECTURES RESPECTING THE ICE. 79

with the land. Hitherto, indeed, every attempt
to approach it, since leaving Mill Islands, had
been thwarted by consolidated bodies of inter-
vening ice, but at the moment this was not
regarded. It was the opinion of Sir E. Parry,
that the ice adheres to the shores of the con-
tinent and Southampton Island, unless blown off
by a strong breeze ; and in this opinion I entirely
concur as applicable to the appearance of ice
there in ordinary seasons ; but in our case it
was obvious that some other explanation was to
be looked for of the extraordinary impediments
by which we had been beset. To me it seemed
almost certain that the great body of ice had
not been broken up at all in the previous year
1835, and that having, with the accumulations
of the following season, been detached from its
bonds by the storms of the spring, it had been
driven, probably by the combined action of the
wind and current, from the bays and harbours
of the north to the place where we found it.
That there were two distinct kinds of ice could
not be doubted ; since the most cursory observer
could not fail to remark that the one was
massive, old, and irregular, with huge piles tossed
up in picturesque confusion — the other light,
clean, and comparatively smooth. The time
too which had been consumed amidst the laby-
rinths of the old ice, with so trifling a change of

80 FOOT-PRINTS OF A BEAR ON THE ICE.

situation, convinced me that any further delay
among it would be fatal, and all these consider-
ations made me, as I have said, most desirous to
close in with the land.

With this object, and a favourable wind, we
' bored' the whole of the forenoon through the
lighter kind of ice, making occasional circuits
as the accident of shape required. Still no
water appeared, though the Greenlandmen did
not lose their faith in the dark clouds which yet
hung upon the skirts of the horizon, seeming to
recede as we slowly approached them. The
fresh foot-prints of a bear which had crossed the
ice within the last twenty-four hours was the
novelty of the day ; and a goose was seen where
perhaps none but a goose would have been seen.
At noon the difference in longitude amounted
only to four miles ; the latitude remaining the
same. Indeed, by the increasing closeness of
the ice, the difficulty of advancing in any di-
rection was becoming hourly greater. For some
time we were entirely stopped ; but by keeping a
press of sail set, and with the aid of a freshening
N. E. breeze, we forced our way by a few hundred
yards at a time, proceeding in this manner with
little variation until midnight. The wind then
increased considerably, compelling us to take in
sail ; but that which, under more favourable
circumstances, would have facilitated, now only

ISLANDS. SI

served to impede our progress, for the strong
breeze packed the ice. September 3d brought
a cold and chilling day, with a temperature of
25° + , and a surface of young ice on all the pools
around. Every attempt therefore to move was as
useless as laborious ; and, after carrying away a
warp in trying to change the situation fifty paces
forwards, we were obliged to yield to necessity,
and desist altogether. The sails were taken
in ; and our stock of fresh water being almost
exhausted, the crew were employed in refilling
the tanks, a task which was completed in the
forenoon. The sky, which had been dark and
hazy towards the land and to the eastward, had
become clearer, and enabled us to see Southamp-
ton Island somewhere about Cape Comfort, which
was high and much covered with snow. On
this side of it, and within perhaps twelve miles
of the ship, Fife Rock wTas also visible ; while far
away to the eastward of North, was Baffin Island.
In fact, after all our labour, we found by the
observations that we had only got twelve miles
to the south.

A Burgomaster, or Glaucus gull, was seen ; and
a golden plover, blown off the shore by the force
of the wind, was shot. Towards sunset several
pools of water were formed, one of which, on
the lee-bow, was of some extent. That nearest

G

82 PRESSURE OF THE WIND.

to us was, for a few minutes, an object of attrac-
tion, owing to the sudden appearance there of
three or four white whales.

It now blew a fresh gale, accompanied by
squalls, and though cold, the weather was clear.
On trying an anemometer, kindly lent to me by
Mr. Rice of Chatham dockyard, the pressure on
a square foot of canvass was found to be equal to
four pounds. The night brought no change ;
but, on the morning of September 4th, we were
glad to perceive that the ship, and consequently
the whole body in which she was beset, had
drifted much nearer to Southampton Island,
which was now visible from the deck. We had
also passed Fife Rock. The frost, however, was
so severe that a hole was obliged to be cut along-
side to draw water from. As this was Sunday,
after the usual muster at divisions, Divine Ser-
vice was read, with an appropriate sermon, which
was listened to with becoming attention, and as I
hope and believe, with the devotion befitting the
perilous uncertainty of our situation. At noon,
the observations both by lunar and chrono-
meter made us a little to the east in longitude,
and the latitude showed that we had been set
fifteen miles south, the distance from Fife Rock
being west five miles, from Southampton island
about twenty-four miles, and from Repulse Bay

SHIP IMMOVEABLE. 83

not more than one hundred and thirty-six miles ;
so that with but a moderate share of westerly
winds to open the ice from the land, there was
still good reason to look forward to the accom-
plishment of the passage before the close of the
season, though the thermometer was as low as
20° + in the night, and but 27° + during the
warmer part of the day. Some hours elapsed
without the slightest variation in the ice, but
at 6h p. m. an extraordinary movement took
place, which with astonishing celerity dispersed
it inshore so much as to leave a wide and long
lane, and we were not without hope that a
branch of it might even have reached us. Not,
however, that we waited for such a consum-
mation without putting our shoulders to the
wheel ; for, besides the sails well filled with a
fresh breeze, our strongest hawsers were fas-
tened to the ice, and then hove round by the
capstan. The united force was of course very
great, and no device was left untried to heave
the ship ahead; but so firmly had the ' sludge'
been frozen quite round the bends, that all our
efforts were unavailing, and not an inch could
we stir her. To see open water within one
hundred yards, and yet be unable to reach it,
was a type of the torment of poor Tantalus : but
so it was, and there was nothing left but to sub-

g 2

84 CREW EMPLOYED IN

mit. The sails were furled, and the ship again
thrown on the chances of what might befall

The wind decreased during the night, and at
daylight of September 5th there was a calm.
We found also that we had drifted considerably
nearer the land, which was high, and thinly and
partially covered with snow. Fife Rock was
just visible to the north. Lanes of water were
seen at different points of the compass along
shore ; and, though they were rather far apart,
and of no great extent, the usual trial was made
to reach them, but again without success. The
last resource therefore was adopted. The whole
of the officers and men were despatched, under
the orders of Lieutenant Smyth, to the only
open water at all near ; and with axes, ice chi-
sels, handspikes, and long poles, began the la-
bouring process of cutting away the ' sludge '
that bound the pieces together, and removing
them into the clear space. In this service
they were frequently obliged to fasten lines to
the heavier masses and haul them out \ and,
though slipping and tumbling about, yet the
light-hearted fellows pulled in unison to a cheer-
ful song, and laughed and joked with the un-
reflecting merriment of schoolboys. Every now
and then some luckless wight broke through
the thin ice, and plunged up to his neck ; an-

4,

1

8

3

!

to

d

0
0

a

CO

-

1}

N

CUTTING AWAY THE ICE. 85

other, endeavouring to remove a piece of ice
by pushing against a larger mass, would set him-
self adrift with it, and every such adventure was
followed by shouts of laughter, and vociferous
mirth. In this way considerable progress was
made, and in the meantime the weather be-
came warmer, and the wind veered to the south-
ward. It became therefore more desirable than
ever that the ship should be liberated, and, if
possible, got closer to the shore, to avoid being
drifted with the pack away to the north, as we
knew must happen if the breeze should freshen
from the quarter in which it now was. At noon,
the latitude was something south of yesterday's,
and the longitude a mile or two west. The
temperature was 33° + . In the afternoon, the
wind drew more to the eastward, and destroyed
the hope of warping the ship out in the channel
which we had been employed in cutting ; but
as it was by that process alone that we could
hope to get clear, the task was resumed with
undiminished ardour in a direction immediately
to the westward, where the ice was not quite
so tightly pressed as elsewhere.

The work went on cheerily, and as the breeze
increased the sails were hoisted, and much to
our satisfaction forced the head round, when the
ship gradually gathered way, and went slowly

g a

86 snow.

towards the land. There was indeed an infinite
expanse of ice, but every dark spot of water
encouraged the hope that an off-shore wind
would soon place us in a navigable channel.
Accordingly as the masses separated from time
to time, the hawsers were got out, and the ship
hove between them, and thus, about 10h p. m.,
we suddenly emerged into a free space. This
proved to be nearly four miles long ; but there
was no opening beyond it, and again, in the
morning of September 6th, all was closed. The
wind freshened, but brought with it snow, the
most unwelcome thing which could befall us ;
nevertheless the warps were tried, and with them
and the sails together we managed to push,
perhaps a mile altogether, towards the land. It
was then noon, and hazy; no land in sight ; ther-
mometer 29° + • The effect of the E. S. E.
breeze was shown in the slow setting of the ice
upon the coast ; and, as many of the pieces were
of sufficient dimension to entitle them to the
name of floes, their motion created occasional
lanes, which, if we had been able to see but a
few hundred yards ahead, might perhaps have
been followed with advantage. Even with all
the uncertainty and risk, I confess the tempt-
ation to gain a single mile was almost irresistible.
That the prudent course was the best was soon,

APPEARANCE OF THE LAND. 87

however, exemplified ; for the whole of the ice
within range of sight shortly after closed, and
hemmed us in. For an hour it was doubtful
whether we should not be nipped, but by warp-
ing into a bight accidentally formed by the
overlapping of one floe over the point of another,
we fortunately escaped. The wind too increased,
so the sails were furled, and the ship secured to
the largest floe. Soundings were struck in one
hundred and twenty-nine fathoms, the bottom
being composed of sand and shells, and by the
line it appeared that the ship was drifting
N.byE. The night was dark and cheerless from
the snow, which continuing to fall clogged the
rigging and decks. At daybreak, there was no
opening in any direction, east or west ; and the
ice had been packed against the land, which
could be traced from south-east to north ; Fife
Rock being still visible E. N. E. Our distance
from the land was about ten or twelve miles ;
but, not to speak of the icy barrier which se-
parated us, there was nothing which invited to
a nearer approach. The soft blue tint which,
twenty-four hours ago, had cheated the imagin-
ation, was gone ; and now there was the chilling1
reality of precipitous black rocks streaked with
snow, and a mantle of the same cold whiteness
spread over the whole of the head land.

g 4

88 DRIFTING TOWARDS LAND.

It was now the 7th of September, and, with so
premature a winter, I could not fail to be more
than ordinarily anxious about our situation. I
was aware that Sir E. Parry had been within a
few miles of the same spot on the 17th of the
same month on his return to England ; but at that
time the temperature — the season — in short, every
thing was different; whereas we were lying power-
less as a log, and nothing was left to my choice
but to sail through the first favourable opening
that offered. So much snow had fallen, that the
better part of the forenoon was taken up in
clearing it from the decks. At noon, the wind
had veered to N. E. by E., which was dead on
the land. Soundings were found with one
hundred and fifty-five fathoms. Temperature
29° + . Soon after, there was a perceptible move-
ment in the ice near us. At first, I thought it
was the re-action produced by the intensity of
the pressure ; but the blocks and pieces thrown
up on the surface of resisting masses, and against
the ship's sides, proved that some agent was
at work, and not long after a five-inch warp,
which held us to the floe, suddenly broke. At
4h p. m. we were evidently drifting much nearer
to the land, though no such indication was given
by the soundings, which were one hundred and
fifty fathoms, with a bottom of green mud.

ACCIDENT TO RUDDER. 89

Indeed, it could be owing only to the amazing
pressure from the north, which ground the smaller
pieces into powder, and either sunk or threw
up others, at various heights and angles, upon
the larger pieces, that a space was cleared for
our drifting. Whatever the cause, we were set-
ting directly on the shore, without the slightest
means of averting it.

Near 8h p. m., a general hubbub, with harsh
grating sounds, announced a commotion about
the stern, which being turned away from the
floe, among the looser ice, was more exposed
than any other part The tiller had been secured
with lashings, to confine the rudder amidships,
but a steep and heavy mass coming against
it under the quarter, snapped the lashings like
threads, and forced the rudder violently on one
side, from which position it could not be re-
lieved until the ice moved away. About the
same time another warp was broken, after which
we were not much further disturbed during the
night.

Sept. 8th brought no change. The same dreary
weather overhung the heavens as with a veil.
The coast however was dimly seen, forming,
according to our position, a long bay, termi-
nated abruptly to the westward by a projecting
bluff point, which we supposed to be that dis-

90 ASPECT OF CONTIGUOUS COAST.

tinguished in the chart by the, to us, most
unappropriate name of Cape Comfort. Beyond
it, a low neck of land could be made out, run-
ning to the north, which was conjectured to be
Cape Bylot. Fife Rock bore N. E. There was
not, to use the ice mate's expression, " a sup
of water in sight." All our hopes, therefore,
rested on the uncertain chance of a westerly
breeze, uncertain only in such a season as this,
inasmuch as ordinarily the westerly and north-
westerly winds are the unfailing companions of
autumn in these latitudes. The barometer had
been for the last fortnight very steady, scarcely
varying with any difference of wind. At noon
the latitude was 65° 09', and longitude S2°5V W.,
not more, therefore, than fifty miles from Duke
of York's Bay in Frozen Strait. The temperature,
which had at one time fallen to 23° + , rose again
to 28° + , wind N. E.

The hours which usually brought some slight
alteration arrived, and passed away, leaving us as
we were, so that we were driven to infer that the
pressure from seaward had now attained its maxi-
mum, and that the compact and boundless field of
ice had vanquished tide and current, and was be-
come fixed and immoveable. A mild night suc-
ceeded, though at first overcast, yet by 10h p. m.
some stars were seen, giving indications of a clear

NEW MOON. 91

sky to the north-west. For an hour or two indeed
the wind did veer as far round as N. N. W., and
tantalized us by vacillating between that and
N. N. E. How often did we look up at the
mast-head vane, and how often presume to say
that it must get to the southward and westward.
In the morning (9th Sept.) all was still and
motionless, though it seemed that we had drifted
a little to the south along the land. At noon,
a gentle air might just be felt from the south-
west ; and as the breeze grew stronger, the hope
deferred which had made our hearts sick was
again doubtfully re-admitted. At night there
was no longer any pressure, for the ship, which
had been forced over considerably to starboard,
now righted ; and this joyful fact the least san-
guine construed into an omen of a speedy re-
lease. But the next morning (September 10th)
the capricious wind first drew more to the south,
bringing with it snow, then veered round again
to N. N. W.j and finally fell nearly calm. The
only perceptible variation was the welcome sight
of two or three streaks of water within a few
yards from the ship. The weather now became
unusually mild, the thermometer being at 35° + ,
and as there was to be a new moon at midnight,
we fixed on that event as the harbinger of a
change. The hour arrived, but not the prognos-

92 RECREATIONS OF THE CREW.

ticated wind ; and, in the still serenity of the star-
lit sky, yet glowing in the west with the lingering
tints of a gorgeous sunset, there was a spirit of
beautiful repose which seemed to mock our dis-
appointment. All was uniform and motionless,
save where the fickle air aloft played with the
languid vane, coquetting round and round from
every point of the compass, as if, in very
waywardness, it knew not where to settle.

The morning of Sept. 11th was also calm, and a
mist overhung the barren coast. The ice had
opened a few yards, and the ship was with diffi-
culty hauled into the space. As the sun gained
power the mist dispersed from the land, or lay in
long thin clouds along its dark cliffs, but no
water could be seen from aloft. Until to-day no
animals had visited us ; but now two seals and
some small fish appeared close to the stern.
After service the officers collected in groups, and
basked in the sunshine of an arctic summer day,
with the thermometer at 35° + . For the last three
or four evenings the people had been permitted to
go on the floe alongside, where they amused
themselves by playing at various games, and
among others the well-known game of baiting
the bear. To-day they went upon the ice for
quiet exercise merely, but had not proceeded
more than a hundred yards, when Mr. Green,

CHASE OF A BEAR. 93

the ice mate, being on the mast-head, espied
a real bear, and the alarm being immediately
given, the men ran helter skelter to the ship,
headed by a bull-dog belonging to the Serjeant
of marines, which was first on board. Every one
below, hearing the rush, flew on deck, and, learn-
ing the cause, seized the first gun at hand to
prepare for the attack. Meantime the noble
animal (a fine polar bear) nothing startled at a
hubbub which might well have frightened a
legion of his kindred away, approached with
deliberate steps nearer and nearer. His gait was
loose, and rolling as if weak from hunger, for he
rather drew than lifted his huge limbs over the
rugged surface ; and still as he advanced, he now
raised his black nose and sniffed, and now paused,
as appetite or fear prevailed. At length he took
courage, and followed up the scent ; till, at the
distance of about fifty paces from the ship, he
stood like a target to receive the balls which
were soon showered on him. He fell, but re-
covering his legs, limped, with what strength was
left, a short space off. Then, all hurry to pursue,
one grasped a handspike, another poised a lance,
a third more heedless rushed on with a mere
stick to give the coup de grace. The more pru-
dent however retained their guns, and a few
more shots terminated the sufferings of poor

94 DIMENSIONS OF BEAR.

bruin. The sailors with their wonted fun hauled
the bulky carcase over the floe, and hoisted it on
board.* The condition of the teeth indicated that
it had attained to some age. It was lean, and the
stomach was found to be entirely empty.

* The following dimensions were taken by Dr. Donovan
and Mr. Mould :

Ft. Inch.
Length from the snout to the tail - - 6 llj

Circumference round the middle
From the snout to the shoulder joint
From the heel of the fore-paw to the top of the back 4
From the heel of the hind leg to the top of rump
Circumference of fore-paw, including claws
Breadth of the fore-paw -

Length from fore middle toe to knee joint
Circumference of fore-leg below the knee
Circumference of hind-paw -
Circumference of hind-leg -
Length of the hind-paw
Breadth of the hind-paw -

Length of hind middle toe to knee joint
Length of tail -

Circumference of head below the eyes -
Circumference of neck - - - -

Distance of snout from the eye -
Distance between the eyes (internal angles)
Length of axis of the eye (perpendicular)
Depth of snout -

Depth from snout to lower part of under jaw
Breadth of septum narium -

Nare elliptical -

Length of ears - - - •*

Breadth of aperture of ear

5

0

2

6

4

4

3

4

2

0

0

8i

0

10

1

7

2

4

1

7

0

81

0

Si

0

9

0

7i

1

10

3

u

0

9±

0

5+

0

Of

0

1

0

7

0

Oi

0

4

0

H

0

34-

WEATHER MILD AND CALM. 9«5

This novelty, trifling as it was, was sufficient to
give a turn to our conversation ; and the eternal
inquiries about the wind, and the speculations as
to the probable quarter from which it would next
come, were for an hour or two suspended ; indeed,
there was little to excite us on that subject,
for the weather continued very mild and calm,
though towards evening it was observed that the
ice had opened a little, and what was still more
singular, that the ship had a slight undulatory
motion. The thermometer during the night did
not sink below 32^° + , and early on September
12th, finding there was a chance of getting
through some lanes in the direction of Cape
Comfort, the ship was with infinite trouble
warped about half a mile, when the ice again

Number of front teeth in upper jaw - 6

Number of canine teeth - 2

Number of molar do. - 6

Small teeth between the tusks and molars - 4>

Front teeth in lower jaw - 6

Canine (one broken) - 2

Molars - - 8

Two small teeth between the canine and molars 2

Ft. Inch.

Length of lower tusks - - - 0 2

Length of upper tusks - - -0 2^

Breadth between the tips of upper tusks - 0 3^-

Breadth (supposed) between lower tusks 0 2^

Length of middle fore claw - - 0 2

Length of middle hind claw - - 0 2

T

96 HAWSER CARRIED AWAY BY ICE.

closed, and the breeze blew, though light, from
the eastward, that is to say, fromthe quarter
directly opposite to what we wished: again
therefore our efforts were discontinued, and
the ship secured. The thermometer at noon
was 35° + , and in a small pool of water astern
three white whales were seen. Later in the
day the weather became overcast, and brought
with it a S.E. wind, thus at once overturning
hopes of a week's growth, and making the pros-
pect of our liberation as remote as ever. Never-
theless, as the ice slacked, about 7h p.m., we
warped a couple of hundred yards ahead, and
then, setting the sails, endeavoured to bore
through the annoying obstruction ; a little way,
perhaps half a mile, we accomplished ; and even
that little was gratifying, for our long detention
had begun to be dispiriting. The ice then be-
coming closer, the sails were furled, and on the
morning of the 13th September we found our-
selves rather closer in with the coast, but owing
to the thick state of the weather the precise spot
could not be ascertained. During the whole of
the forenoon there was nothing but snow, and
the breeze blew dead on the land ; the result
showed itself, as was to be expected, by an in-
creased pressure of the snow and ice, which tight-
ened so much, that before we were aware of it
the securing hawser was carried away. It was

MOTION" IN THE ICE. 9/'

replaced by a stronger one, but we could not
venture to throw a strain even on this ; and when-
ever any sudden change took place among the
ice it was immediately slackened. The snow
did not cease until 6h. 30ra. p. m., and then so
laden were the decks with it, that the people
were actively occupied more than an hour in
clearing it away : the mist at the same time par-
tially clearing, permitted a glimpse of the land,
which was found to be considerably nearer than
any one had anticipated, and proved that we had
been set further than was expected to the west-
ward. At 8h p. m. Cape Comfort bore by compass
N.N.E., and soundings were obtained with one
hundred and seventy-five fathoms of line, at a dis-
tance of not more than five miles from the nearest
rocks. During the night the increased violence
of the wind, and its unwelcome constancy to the
adverse quarter, had a direful effect on the shore
ice in which we were embedded ; and though every
piece was so closely and firmly packed against the
other that there was not a hole large enough to
admit of drawing water, yet at4h.30m. a.m. Sept.
14th, an agitative motion discovered itself among
the surrounding ice, so violent, and indeed irresis-
tible, that what was not crushed by its enormous
force was raised up to various heights ; one pon-
derous mass, with several peaks, to upwards of
twenty feet.

H

98 ICEBOUND IN SIGHT OF LAND.

Fixed as we were, we partook of the general
commotion ; and the ship being deep and too heavy
to rise wTith the rest, it had to sustain the whole
pressure and became severely nipped, leaning
over considerably to starboard. The breeze,
too, which still blew from N. E., so far from
abating, came on attended by smart squalls.
At this time we appeared to be not more than
four miles from the land, which was broken into
exposed bays, utterly without shelter from the
north, and blocked up with close packed ice.
Not a pool of water was visible in any direction :
to the mercv of Providence alone could we look
for rescue from our perilous situation. None
but those who have experienced it can judge
of the weariness of heart, the blank of feeling,
the feverish sickliness of taste which gets the
better of the whole man under circumstances
such as these. Not an incident occurred to relieve
for a moment the dull monotony of our unprofit-
able detention. Will the wind ever come from the
westward ? was the question fretfully asked and
peevishly answered. This one idea had taken
entire possession of the mind, and whilst even a
doubt remained, no occupation, no amusement,
however ordinarily gratifying, had power to
please or even distract the thoughts. Not that
this, or any part of it, was expressed in words,
but the feeling was not the less easily detected,

PARTIAL MOVEMENT OF THE MASSES. 99

As the sun set the sky became rather more
bright at N. W«, and with much satisfaction the
wind was observed to veer that way. A faint
aurora was also seen at S. W., and as it has been
often considered as a sign of wind from that quar-
ter in which it appears, even that prognostic,
uncertain as it is, was eagerly caught at. But
although the breeze blew off or along the coast all
the night, yet on Sept. 15th not the minutest
change was visible, until near 8h a. m., when a
very partial movement took place in about a
dozen large masses immediately around us. The
effect of this was so far beneficial that it
released the ship from the heavy pressure she
had been sustaining, and as the sunken pieces,
from beneath her bottom, rose to the surface
with a bound, and others glided along the sides,
she gradually righted. But when we were looking
with eager eyes for some little space of water, the
motion stopped at once, as if arrested by the hand
of magic, and left us again to hope and again be
disappointed. The temperature which had been
as low as 21° + , at noon rose to 23° + . The wind
blew fresh along the land until evening, but it
was late in the first watch before the faintest
stir was heard among the ice, which then merely
moved in azimuth, causing the ship to go a few
yards astern. Yet to move at all was encouraging,
since it proved that the pieces, though wedged

h 2

100 WIND VEERS TO SOUTH-WEST.

and heaped together, were not yet rivetted by the
continually increasing severity of the night-frosts.
Half of the month had now slipped away,
and we were held still within sight of the same
land as it were in the grasp of a giant. Yet
the prospect though unpromising enough was
not yet hopeless ; for about midnight the wind
drew round to the south-west, and came with a
force which, a week before, would have fulfilled
our most sanguine desires. The ice now, however,
was too close wedged to yield at once to its
influence, though considerably loosened. Up to
noon of Sept. 16. no effectual alteration took
place : the thermometer had once fallen as low
as 15° + , though it had now risen again to 31° + *
The height of the land made our distance from
shore appear less than it really wTas ; and often a
proposition was made to me that a small party
should endeavour to make their way across the
land to the westward, and satisfy themselves if
any open water was to be expected in that direc-
tion. However, being myself pretty confident
that there was open water, and moreover not
very far away, I could not at this crisis give my
consent to it. Besides the toil and difficulty
which must necessarily be encountered in the
attempt to traverse the country along the coast,
broken as it was into ravines and vallies, ren-
dered more impassable by the snow lately fallen ;

PROSPECT OF RELEASE. 101

the hazard of their being separated from the
ship left no room for hesitation, though I pro-
mised that on a future occasion the proposition
should not be forgotten.

The wind now got more to the southward,
and after being unsettled for an hour or two,
began to blow fresh from S. by W. : still the ice
did not stir. However, about 4h 30m, it opened
out a little, and though no water was visible
from the Crow's Nest, the breeze was so strong
that it was deemed expedient to set the sails ;
and answering to their power, the ship imme-
diately forged ahead, generally, of course, very
slowly, but wherever the ice wras smaller with
a speed that brightened every countenance. It
was indeed singular to behold the vast ship
gliding along without any perceptible water. This
could not last, and though it blew a gale of wind,
yet even with warps and all appliances and means
to boot, we were at length beaten by the solid
mass. The last gleam of twilight, however, had
just brought to sight several narrow lanes of
water precisely where they were most wanted,
so that the probability of a release was greater
than it had been for at least three weeks. The
wind veered a little to the eastward, but rather
increased than diminished in violence, so that
most of the sails were taken in, leaving enough to
press the ship forward if the ice should give way.

h 3

102 HOPES DISAPPOINTED.

Morning of the 17th came, and our hopes
were strongly excited. It was an auspicious
day, for it was the date of Sir E. Parry's getting
clear from nearly the same place on his return
to England ; but there was no such good fortune
in store for us. We had been forced nearer to
Cape Comfort, which jutted out something to
the north, forming with the wind then pre-
dominating a weather shore, under the lee of
which it was natural to suppose there would be a
' lead ' of water ; but contrary to experience and
the expectation of all on board, the ice was
found to be locked in to the very base of the
rocks, and presented a barrier as insuperable as
the one just before us. Still the gale from the
eastward howled on, and though not a spot of
water could be detected ahead, yet there was a
channel for upwards of three miles formed in the
place we had left ; in fact, all that was wanted
was a breeze of the same kind from the west.
The weather throughout the afternoon was wild
and gloomy, and the evening closed in with
showers of sleet. The ice was disturbed, and
though too firmly wedged to open out, cracked
and heaved as if seeking relief from the grinding
pressure, but all in vain. The whole cemented
mass, however, yielded to the general impulse, and
ice and ship were borne helplessly along before
the violence of the gale. Much water had been

SHIP DRIVEN NEARER LAND. 103

seen along the shore to the eastward, and there
seemed some likelihood of its overtaking us
by daylight, if by any means we could hold
on to some floe so as to let the smaller pieces
drift past. But this, however desirable, was
found impracticable, as the whole mass moved
together. Throughout the night the wind scarcely
abated, but towards morning of Sept. 18th it
became moderate ; and as the heavy clouds
cleared away before the rays of the rising sun, it
was discovered that we had been driven past
Cape Comfort about three or four miles, and at
the same time had been set considerably nearer
to the coast which, immediately abreast of us,
was fearfully forbidding. To the north it pre-
sented a towering and perpendicular front, rent
into fissures, or jagged with splintery ridges, all
deeply black ; whilst towards the south it receded
from the summit in round backed hills, entirely
(except where sharp-angled rocks peeped out)
covered with snow. Farther west the land gra-
dually declined with longer slopes and wider
vallies, and terminated in a point, either Cape
Bylot or Cape Welsford of Parry. Through-
out the entire range I was unable to detect any
of those marks which indicate the track of the
Esquimaux in their periodical migrations.

The latitude at noon was 65° 12' N., and in
having been drifted thus far, we had the consola-

h 4

104 MR. GORE SHOOTS A FOX.

tory conviction that there must be an open space of
water somewhere to the west. We knew more-
over that the further we advanced in that direc-
tion the more we should be liable to the influence
of the high tides in the neighbourhood of the
Welcome, where the changes among the ice
would be more frequent, and our chance of
reaching Repulse Bay consequently improved.
In fact, a long narrow lane had begun to form
close to the beach, reaching nearly to the extre-
mity of the view, but the breeze freshening
from S.S.E. forced the seaward body of ice in,
and closed it up again. Baffin Island was visible
from the mast-head, but there was no opening in
that direction. A raven and a little snow bunt-
ing came near the ship. No soundings were got
with one hundred and fifty fathoms. As the
sun declined the breeze freshened still more,
sending the low and light scud before it with the
swiftness of an arrow. It was not however till
near midnight that we stirred, when the ice, driven
by the wind and tide, carried us about a mile.

Sept. 19th sail was set to endeavour to force
the ship clear of some large pieces, which
ground with a grating noise against the bot-
tom, but it was to little purpose. About this
time an Arctic fox, probably allured by the
scent of the skeleton of the bear which was
hanging to the main-stay, came so close that it

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SHIP IN EXTREME PERIL. lOo

was shot by Mr. Gore. A raven, too, wheeled
its flight twice round the ship. What must be
the wearisome uniformity of a life in which inci-
dents such as these become memorable !

When the haze over the land was in some
measure dispersed, we found that we had been set
something further towards Cape Bylot, beyond
which more land could be made out, and at noon
Baffin Island bore N. 50° E. The temperature
continued 31° + , and the southerly wind still
prevailed. Four points more to the west was
all that we required. No water in sight. In
the early part of the night a thick mist came on,
and the wind gradually veered to east, bringing
with it sleet and snow. The next morning
(Sept. 20th) it drew more to the northward,
and, what was worse, blew fresh, thereby setting
the seaward ice down towards the land with more
force than had yet been experienced. Shortly
after 9h a. m. a floe piece split in two, and the
extreme violence of the pressure curled and
crumbled the windward ice up in an awful man-
ner, forcing it against the beam fully eighteen
feet high. The ship creaked as it were in agony,
and, strong as she was, must have been stove and
crushed, had not some of the smaller masses been
forced under her bottom, and so diminished the
strain, by actually lifting her bow nearly two feet
out of the water. In this perilous crisis steps

106 FRIGHTFUL INCREASE OF PRESSURE.

were taken to have everything in readiness for
hoisting ont the barge, and without creating un-
necessary alarm, the officers and men were called
on the quarter-deck, and desired, in case of
emergency, to be active in the performance of
their duties at the respective stations then notified
to them. It was a serious moment for all, as the
pressure still continued, nor could we expect
much, if any, abatement until the wind changed.
At noon the weather and our prospects re-
mained the same. The barometer was falling, and
the temperature was 26° + , with unceasing snow.
Much ice had been sunk under the bottom, and
a doubt existed whether it was not finding its
way beneath the lee floe also ; for the uplifted
ruins, within fifty paces of the weather beam,
were advancing slowly towards us like an im-
mense wave fraught with destruction. Resist-
ance would not, could not have been effectual
beyond a few seconds ; for what, of human con-
struction, could withstand the impact of an icy
continent, driven onward by a furious storm ?
In the mean time symptoms too unequivocal to
be misunderstood demonstrated the intensity of
the pressure. The butt-ends began to start, and
the copper, in which the galley apparatus was
fixed, became creased, sliding doors refused to
shut, and leaks found access through the bolt-
heads and bulls-eyes. On sounding the well too,

PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERY. 107

an increase of water was reported, not sufficient
to excite apprehension in itself, but such as to
render hourly pumping necessary. Moved by
these indications, and to guard against the worst, I
ordered the provisions and preserved meats, with
various other necessaries to be got up from below
and stowed on deck, so as to be ready at a mo-
ment to be thrown upon the large floe along- side.
To add to our anxiety, night closed prematurely,
when suddenly, from some unknown cause, in
which, if Ave may so deem without presumption,
the finger of Providence was manifest, the floe,
which threatened instant destruction, turned so
as in a great degree to protect us against an in-
crease of pressure, though for several hours after-
wards the same creaking and grinding sounds
continued to annoy our ears. The barometer
and other instruments fell with a regularity un-
precedented, yet the gale was broken, and by
midnight had abated considerably.

Sept. ^Ist. there was a lateral motion in some
pieces of the surrounding ice, and after several as-
tounding thumps under water against the bottom,
the ship which had been lifted high beyond her line
of flotation and thrown somewhat over to port, sud-
denly started up and almost righted. Still however
she inclined more than was agreeable to port, nor
was it until one mass of ponderous dimensions
burst from its imprisonment below that she alto-

108 PRESSURE UNEXPECTEDLY CONTINUES.

gether regained her upright position. On be-
holding the walls of ice on either side between
which she had been nipped, I was astonished at
the tremendous force she had sustained. Her
mould was stamped as perfectly as in a die. Asto-
nishment however soon yielded to a more grateful
feeling, an admiration of the genius and mechanical
skill by which the Terror had been so ably pre-
pared for this service. We had many old Green-
land seamen on board, and they were unanimously
of opinion that no ship they had ever seen could
have resisted such a pressure. On sounding the
well she was found not to leak, though the car-
penters had employment enough in caulking the
seams on deck.

At last the wind got round to the westward, and
though not a pool of water was visible, still expect-
ation was again on the stretch ; but though a fresh
breeze prevailed till the evening, and again after a
partial calm blew through the night, and though
the effect to be anticipated from this would be
the sending of the ice to the eastward, if moved at
all, yet, strange to say, the very reverse took place,
as the creaking of the pressed ship gave us but
too plainly to understand.

On Sept. 22d. the vessel was again sharply
nipped, but without straining as before. At noon
the thermometer rose a few degrees from 15° +,
the point to which it had fallen in the night, and

EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 109

by observations, we were at the distance of twenty-
five miles only from Duke of York's Bay ; but
we could not possibly advance so much as twenty-
five inches, or, with such a succession of untoward
winds, I should long ago have endeavoured to
get the ship into some place of safety. Birds of
all kinds had left us, and animals too, except a
solitary seal espied to-day from the mast-head :
this was immediately pursued by one of the
officers, but after a fatiguing walk over the ice,
he found the wary seal on the look-out and,
instead of waiting to be shot at, it prudently
disappeared through a hole in the ice. As the
scene of operations was daily growing more
circumscribed, and the outward body of ice
forced us further in shore, directly towards a bay,
bounded at either extreme by craggy rocks ; it
became important to get some knowledge of its
formation, in the hope of finding a shelter behind
some protruding rock or point, if circumstances
should permit us to get there. Accordingly a
party of officers and men, under the direction of
Lieutenant Smyth, having volunteered their ser-
vices, the remainder of the day was taken up in
making the requisite preparations for their de-
parture on the following morning. Sept. 23d
came on with thick weather and snow, which,
together with the quantity that had already fallen,

110 A DOCK CUT IN THE ICE.

hid the looser portions of ice between the floes,
and thereby rendered the destined expedition too
hazardous. About 9h a. m., a relaxation in the
pressure encouraged us to try to warp the ship
from her present unsafe situation, and this being
found impracticable, the whole crew were em-
ployed to cut a canal with axes and other
implements, which attempt also was after a fair
trial abandoned, as the heavier masses of ice
squeezed forward into each vacancy as fast as it
was made. The large floe against the larboard,
which was the side nearest to the land, was much
piled up with hummocks, and directly alongside
was upwards of twenty feet thick; and with
the double view of employing the people, and
to make an experiment which, if successful,
might be found advantageous, it was determined
to cut a dock in the pure ice. Accordingly,
after the dimensions were measured, the officers
and men set to work, and having, in the course
of four hours, sunk a trench as many feet deep,
satisfied me that, assuming the floe to be of a
uniform thickness, they could finish the work
in ten days at the most. On this occasion, it hap-
pened, contrary to expectation, that the ice near
us, and only that near us, began at that moment
to open, so that by five o'clock p. m. there was a
lane for two or three hundred yards, so free of

HOPES AGAIN DISAPPOINTED, 111

interruption, that a whale line was made fast to
the upper part of the fore-mast, and the men
actually tracked the ship along.

We had now been precisely a month beset,
without the option of moving in any direction but
where the openings occurred, or where the whole
body of the ice drifted; and this at a period admit-
ted to be the most favourable for navigating these
seas. With every thing flattering to decoy us on
within twenty miles of Baffin Island, we there
found ourselves suddenly stopped; and saw the
ice close behind us in an unbroken line, cutting
off all retreat. It will easily therefore be con-
ceived, that the phenomenon which permitted
even this trifling advance was hailed with exult-
ation ; and though we were soon arrested,
yet three or four cracks between the floes
and packed body ahead, intimated that some-
thing favourable might be expected from the
returning tide. The weather, too, continued
mild, and a light air blew from the west. Still,
though there were occasional fluctuations in the
ice during the night, Sept. 24th came without
the consummation so eagerly anticipated. By some
unaccountable caprice, scarcely had the narrow
opening begun to enlarge when the ice suddenly
stopped, and then with a reaction truly alarm-
ing, pressed against the ship, so as to heave her
over considerably on one side to the no small risk
of the part nipped, which creaked and com-

1 1^2 CUTTING AWAY ICE WITH AXES.

plained bitterly ; it was some hours before she
righted again.

It was now an object so to place the ship,
that the excessive pressure, aided as it was by the
spring tide, should be received equally on
every part of her ; and as this could not be
effected without the ice saws, they were shortly
made ready, and having been fixed to large tri-
angles formed of three high poles, were worked
by means of a pulley. With one saw and some
axes we were enabled to cut away a sharp piece
which had already caused much annoyance, and
were about removing it, when the ship which
had been warped there, was suddenly set by the
ice against it, and in a short time crushed up
the whole mass. From that moment the pres-
sure was very great, and after midnight of Sept.
25th, the timbers were strained so severely
that there was a general creaking. Happily it
did not last, for the crack again opened out and
permitted our hauling a few yards ahead, and
thereby to escape being caught by an extensive
floe which, after sinking all smaller pieces,
had forced its way to us. The rudder had
borne an amazing force with scarcely any injury,
but as there was no longer any reason for expos-
ing it, it was unhung and slung under the stern.
We were nearly half way between Capes Comfort
and Bylot, were in sight of each side of Frozen
Strait, could clearly distinguish Cape Welsford

CONSULTATION OF OFFICERS. 1 IS

and the dark water sky over Duke of York's Bay,
were only five or six miles from the shore, which
would have afforded us some shelter, and yet
here we were fixed, compelled to endure the
furious buffets which each successive tide brought
upon us, and at the mercy of the mighty power
that bound us. The temperature had varied
from 18° to 23°, and the wind had drawn round
to the east, though this was now become of tri-
fling importance, as the westerly wind on which
so much reliance had been placed had not even
separated the floes, much less driven them from
the land ; and in fact, according to our united
opinions, had made no impression whatever.

Deeply sensible as I was of the growing peril of
our situation with days contracting and the prospect
of a speedy decrease of temperature, I now made
an official demand on the officers of his majesty's
ship, for their respective opinions in writing, upon
the probability of any further progress being made
by our own exertions in the present season, to-
wards Repulse Bay. Their unanimous convic-
tion, from the experience of the thirty-four
days in which the ship had been beset, was, that
any thing more, with that view, was utterly im-
practicable, and they suggested the adoption of
certain precautions in the event of any sudden
contingency obliging us to have recourse to the*
boats for safety. In this opinion I entirely coin-

i

114 RAPID DESTRUCTION OF THE FLOE.

tided, and considering that the period had now
arrived for taking a decisive step, had deter-
mined to cut a dock in a favourable part of the
floe which we had quitted ; that being the
largest, and, according to the ice mate, the only
one sufficiently strong for the purpose. I felt
assured that, if this could be accomplished, the
ship would be protected so long as the floe held
together, and in short it was my only resource.
The resolution thus adopted was to have been car-
ried into execution, but the following night, with-
out the aid of any strong breeze, produced the
most extraordinary changes yet witnessed. There
was a general commotion; and the entire body by
which we were hampered separating into single
f pieces, tossed into heaps or ground to powder
whatever interrupted its course, and finally, in
the early morning of the 26th, rushed violently
to the westward, directly up Frozen Strait. The
ship bore well up against the hurly burly, and
when daylight broke, and we could distinguish
objects, we looked in vain for the floe. In the
wild convulsion of the night it had been broken
and scattered with many other ponderous masses,
which now lay piled in ruins around us. It was
evident, too, that the ship had been set nearer to
Cape Bylot, for the coast beyond it, as well as
Baffin's Island, were plainly seen from the deck ;

so that, for aught we knew, we might still be

12

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BOW OF THE SHIP SPLIT. 11,5

carried even to the goal of our wishes without
any effort of our own. One fact, at all events,
was incontrovertible, that, now the ice, though
heavy enough to do great injury, was not exten-
sive enough to shelter us as I had designed, and
that there was nothing left but to drift with it
until Nature in her own good time should
release us.

The ice remained unusually tranquil the
whole of the afternoon ; but as the night ad-
vanced the north-east wind increased, and at
llh p.m., when the flood-tide made, the ship
became sharply nipped : fortunately it did not
last long, and on Sept. 27th she was free again.
The effect of the breeze which still continued,
accompanied with snow, had been to drive us
nearer to the land, but without any inconvenience
from pressure ; and we were congratulating our-
selves on this, when, at llh a.m., the creaking
of the beams and sides abaft the main-mast inti-
mated that the ice was in motion. On looking
over the stern, a heavy piece, driven on by
several others, was seen crashing or sinking
everything before it, and being now checked by
the ship, which it struck under the quarter,
raised her at once several feet out of the water,
the bow at the same time being pressed with
such force against a mass ahead as to split it in
two or three directions, the whole going bodily

i 2

116 PREPARING FOR AN EMERGENCY.

forward. In this alarming manner the ice
brought up, leaving the stern elevated seven and
a half feet, and the bow jammed against the
ponderous masses ahead. Nothing could be
done by us to relieve the ship ; and as there were
no floes of sufficient surface on which to place
boats and provisions, if driven to that necessity,
I decided on hoisting out the two whale boats
from the skids, and hanging them up alongside,
so that these with the third and the two cutters,
might be lowered at a moment's notice. A fur-
ther quantity of provision also was to be got up,
with ammunition and other necessaries to sup-
port life in case of the worst. As for the barge,
though in itself the most suitable boat, her size
and weight would have rendered her totally un-
manageable on the broken and moving ice which
surrounded us. The day was spent in executing
these arrangements, and I waited with anxiety
for the hour when the returning flood-tide
should again act. With the wind dead on shore,
it was not very likely to loosen the ice ; and if it
packed it still more, who could calculate on the
result ? As midnight drew near, an occasional
sharp crack about the counter warned us that
something was giving way, but it passed ; and
on Sept. 28th, though the breeze had rounded
more to the eastward, the ship had not altered
her inclination. Much snow fell, and it blew

14

ANNOYANCES OF THE SITUATION. 117

Fresh till the morning, when the task of com-
pleting the requisite outfit for the boats was
resumed. The top-gallant-yards and masts were
lowered on deck, that the ship might be as light
as possible about the mast-heads ; and if by any
turn of fortune a channel should still open, we
could always set the topsails and courses, which
would be amply sufficient to take us to an
anchorage. At noon the ice was stationary,
and we therefore motionless. The thermometer
kept up to 29° + with an easterly breeze, from
which I inferred that there was open water at no
great distance in that bearing, notwithstanding
we could not see it from aloft. On the 29th
the only change was, that the wind had veered
more to the south, and that although the ther-
mometer was above the freezing point (viz. 33° + )
so much snow fell that the whole forenoon was
occupied in clearing it from the decks and
boats. It was a tedious and annoying situation
to be placed in, not above three miles from the
shore, yet unable to get the ship there — bays
and harbours apparently within reach, and still
obliged to be prepared for being wrecked.

The ship remained in the same inconvenient
position, the slope and slippery state of the lee side
of the deck causing many falls to those who were
passing along. Sept. 30th was calm, and a depo-
sition of hoar-frost and small spicuke coated the

i 3

118 HOPES OF PROGRESSING BAFFLED.

rigging and spars. As this was to be expected
for many months, and the consequent difficulty of
walking the decks was to be guarded against, I set
up the housing cloth between the fore and main
masts, and thus made an excellent shelter, and a
dryplace along the gangways for the people to take
exercise. Not that all idea of moving had been
abandoned, for I was determined to push up the
Strait whenever the slightest opportunity should
be given, whether now or in the middle of winter.
Nor, placed as we were, was such an opportunity
improbable, since Sir E. Parry had throughout
the whole winter, remarked more or less open
water to the south east of his anchorage at Winter
Island. About 10h 40m a. m. a very narrow sepa-
ration of the in-shore ice was seen, proving the
reasonableness of such expectations, especially
if a westerly gale, which some were yet sanguine
enough to hope for, should at last come to our
relief. During the afternoon the same ice closed
again without in any way affecting us. Thus
ended a month of vexation, disappointment, and
anxiety, to me personally more distressing and
intolerable than the worst pressure of the worst
evils which had befallen me in any other expe-
dition.

119

CHAP. III.

Lane of Water discovered, — Prospect of wintering on the Ice.
— Violent Concussions experienced. — Employment of the
Crew. — Erection of an Observatory. — FavourablePosition
of the Ship. — Disruption by a Gale. — Expansion of open
Water. — Officers build Snow Houses. — Excursions to Land.
— An exploring Party. — Experiment of wearing a Mash. —
Survey of a Harbour. — Pass Cape Comfort. — Risk of
being crushed. — Robbed by Foxes and Shrimps. — Ther-
mometer rises. — Huge Mass of Ice. — Amusements. —
Thermometers tested. — Accident to the Carpenter. — School
for the Crew. — Curious Phenomenon. — Register
TJiermometer. — Rein-deer killed. — Fearful Storm. —
Floe cracks.

On the 1st of Oct. the vessel gradually righted,
and from that day to the 6th not a single incident
occurred worthy of being recorded, except that
the ship got an awkward list to starboard.

The weather was singularly calm, the tempera-
ture did not fall lower than 14° + , and the ice
remained almost motionless, or moved, if at all,
bodily towards the land without creating the
smallest noise. One faint and flitting aurora was
seen.

On the 6th, a party of four, consisting of
two officers and two men, left the ship early in
the morning, with the intention of making an
excursion on shore, whence they returned about

i 4

120 A PARTY GO ON SHORE.

4h p. m. They described the walking as very
fatiguing, on account of the state of the ice,
thrown as it was into a heap of peaks and ridges,
with the exception of one floe about three
quarters of a mile broad, the whole way to the
shore, the distance of which was estimated to
be about four miles. The sludge ice between
the larger masses was frozen hard enough to
bear them ; and though painful to the feet, was
considered the most favourable for travelling on.
They did not perceive any open water near the
shore, but found some difficulty in reaching it,
on account of a chasm between the ice and the
nearest rocks, which however at last they con-
trived to leap over. After resting awhile, they
endeavoured to ascend the hills, but were soon
discouraged by the excessive fatigue of toiling
through snow, already in many places two and
three feet deep. Not a single track of an ani-
mal was seen to allure them on or cheer their
exertions ; and under these circumstances, they
very wisely retraced their steps to the vessel,
where they arrived well fagged with the trip.
On landing they had fired several shots, but
the sound did not reach us, though more than
one were watching their motions. The whole
line of coast to Cape Bylot seemed to them to
form a moderate bay, and the ice between the
ship and shore they thought decidedly more

LANE OF WATER DISCOVERED. 121

packed than further to seaward. The specimens
of rocks which they brought were gneiss, with a
considerable mixture of red felspar. They had
not seen a blade of grass, nor a symptom of vege-
tation of any kind. No marks wrere observed
on the rocks, indicating the rise and fall of the
tide.

The day was clear and fine, and the land
beyond Cape Welsford, as well as Vansittart and
Baffin islands, was so much thrown up by re-
fraction, that had we not certainly known the
passage through Frozen Strait, we might have
concluded that we were at the entrance of some
deep bay or inlet.

In the course of making some changes for
the more suitable accommodation of some of
the warrant officers, we found the roof and sides
of the vessel so damp, as to have contracted in
many parts a deposition of blue mould, caused,
in all probability, by the vapour from the cook's
copper close by. This led to a closer examina-
tion of other parts of the ship ; and on looking
narrowly at the heel of the bowsprit, it was dis-
covered to be sprung from the knight-heads
inwards six feet. How or when the injury had
been done it was impossible to ascertain : it was,
probably, the effect of the weight and strain
which must have been thrown upon it, whenever
the ship was hove suddenly aback with a slack-

122 SHIP RIGHTS.

ened bobstay among heavy ice, or it might
have been occasioned by running on and lifting
against elevated masses. During the after-
noon of the 9th the wind freshened from the
westward, and early the following morning, much
to the astonishment of those who first descried it,
a long lane of water was formed in shore at the
distance of not more than a mile from the ship.
The body in which we were beset had, in fact,
separated from and moved away from that nearer
the land, leaving a perfectly clear channel to Cape
Bylot within fifteen miles from Duke of York's
Bay, which I was most anxious to reach in order
to place the ship in safety for the winter. The
returning ebb closed the lane in a great part,
though not entirely, and we continued as firmly
beset as ever, yet not without hope that the next
three or four days might materially improve our
prospects. The same action and reaction suc-
cessively occurred at each change of tide ; but
on the 11th, the weather being exceedingly mode-
rate, various transverse cracks and small openings
began to appear over the greater part of the ice,
and at length actually reached the ship. Towards
evening, several pieces of ice slowly moved from
under her bilge, and at llh 30ra p. m., the com-
motion having considerably increased, she first
forged a little ahead, and immediately righted.
Had it been light enough to send the men on the

PROSPECT OF WINTERING ON THE ICE. 123

ice to make fast the hawsers, such was the rapid
change going on, that it is possible we might
have gained a few hundred yards ; but among
other grievances was this also, that the most
favourable opportunities invariably occurred when
advantage could not be taken of them.

October 12th. — At daylight the different
articles which for convenience had been deposited
on the ice alongside were brought on board, and
unwilling to lose the slightest chance of advancing,
an effort was made to warp, but without success.
At noon we were almost in the same place as
before ; with this difference however, that the
entire body of ice was broken or separated into
single pieces as when we first entered it. The
wind had veered to north-east, the thermometer
remaining at 22°-j- ; and its unwelcome influence
wTas felt at the very next flood, when it drove the
moving ice dead on the land, of course inclosing
us in the general pressure. But, in truth, we
now hardly knew what to hope, or what to wish. If
the ice separated there was danger ; if it remained
compact, there was the recurring commotion
of every spring- tide, and the conjectural effect
of the storms which sooner or later must come
upon us. These reflections, and the responsi-
bility which devolved on me, embittered the
hours which I had fondly hoped to have passed
very differently. Plans for spending the winter,

124 VIOLENT CONCUSSIONS EXPERIENCED.

(supposing we were compelled to remain out)
had been concerted during the passage across the
Atlantic. Observatories were to be erected on
shore, experiments were to be made, much in
short was to be done from which interesting re-
sults might have been obtained ; and though I did
not yet altogether despair of accomplishing these
designs, since, by possibility, the ship might still
be set close to some bay or other place conveni-
ent for the purpose, yet it could not be concealed
that the probability was hourly diminishing.

The night of the 13th October was rough and
boisterousjust at the very time of the highest tide,
and wedging the ice against and under the ship,
occasioned many severe concussions. A little past
llh I was reading in the cabin, when I felt so
violent a shock directly under the quarter, that 1
thought it must have been stove in. The attack
(if I may so express myself) was repeated at
regular intervals, and lasted for upwards of two
hours. On the 14th October there was no other
change than that brought by snow, and a depres-
sion of the thermometer to 14° + . One faint au-
rora had been seen, During the two succeeding
days, at the flood-tide, the same concussions
were indicated by a slight trembling of the ship.
As the tides became weaker the effect ceased,
and we remained thenceforth undisturbed.

It was not till October 17th that the tempera-

bo

X

o

s

REPAIRING HEATING APPARATUS. 1<2.5

ture fell below zero. On that day, however, it was
9°m — , with a clear sky and a very light air from the
N. N. W. The aurora was observed at the
same time. The planking and timbers, &c. of
the ship cracked from the contraction of the
cold, and the temperature of the officers' cabins
being below the freezing point, the vapour froze
until the hatches were shut down, and when this
had been done, caused more inconvenience still
by returning to its former state, and running
down from the beams and sides in streams, I now,
therefore, gave instructions for the constant use
of the warming apparatus, which on three pre-
vious trials had answered satisfactorily. Not
long, however, after the fire had been put into
the furnace, it was discovered that the heat
circulated only along one side of the ship, and
upon examination, a portion of the liquid, con-
sisting of brine, was found to have escaped.
The work of repair was forthwith commenced by
taking down the outer brickwork of the furnace,
between which and the latter was the worm of
the iron pipe that formed the heating apparatus.
It was a flaw or opening in this worm that had
allowed the liquid to escape, and this imposed on
us the additional trouble of putting the forge
together, which was accordingly done under a
canvass shed on the ice alongside. Here the
armourer, who had been supplied to us from

126 EMPLOYMENT OF THE CREW.

Chatham Dock-yard, an industrious and active
man, set to work with seeming delight, and in
a few days the worm was replaced and again
bricked up. I determined, however, on a gene-
ral inspection of the whole range before the fire
should be again lighted. In the meantime the
steam and vapour on the lower deck spread over
the whole upper surface and sides, as well as on
the beams and stanchions, and then becoming
condensed and falling in every direction, acted
something like a shower bath. Rather than
suffer this, the consequences of which on the
general health might soon have been felt, the
hatches were again thrown open, and the clouds
of dense vapour suffered to escape. It was my
intention, in case the heat generated by the
warming apparatus should not be adequate to
the absorption of the moisture, to have iron tanks
placed on the upper deck as condensers ; but the
plan for the present was delayed, for being quite
ignorant of what the next spring-tides might
produce, I was more tardy in making final ar-
rangements for the winter as well as in organis-
ing occupations for keeping up the health and
spirits of the crew, than was consistent with my
own wishes. Not a day, however, had been suf-
fered to pass without some active employment,
either in the duties of the ship, or on the ice,
where healthy exercise was turned to profitable

ERECTION OF AN OBSERVATORY. 1^7

account in constructing paths and one general
road towards the shore. The officers kept their
regular watches ; nor in the peculiar situation of
the ship, and the uncertainty of what might hap-
pen in case of any sudden storm, were the men
at present discharged from the performance of

the like duty.

The temperature had hitherto been registered
every two hours, but on October 18th two large
spirit thermometers previously tested and found
to agree, were placed on each side of a thick
post fixed on the tafrail, in a direction due north
and south ; the southern thermometer having its
bulb freely exposed, and the northern one having
the brass guard usually thrown over the bulb by
the makers. These were now to be registered
every hour, and at 2h p. m. October 20, with a
clear sky and a light air from west, the north
shewed 4° -h and the south 22°+. The follow-
ing day at 6h p. m., wind light at N. N. E,,
the temperature fell to 15° by both. An hour
after, the weather became overcast, and they
rose to 8°.

The risk of the ice separating had induced me
to defer the erection of an observatory, but now I
yielded to the urgency of Lieutenant Stanley, who
was eager to commence a series of astronomical
observations, and a party of officers and men,
under his directions, set about the work on a

128 UNSOCIABILITY OF THE CREW.

small floe, less than two hundred yards from the
larboard quarter. The site chosen had every
appearance of solidity, and yet, to my surprise,
I confess, after the sharp weather of the past
few days, they came to water on removing snow,
a foot or two from the surface. At first it was
thought to be fresh, but when they had dug
about five inches through ice, the sea-water
rushed up, thus proving how great is the pro-
tection afforded by a covering of six or eight
inches of snow. The ice formed on the fire hole*
in a single night but three days before was just
five inches thick.

Meantime we were not unobservant of the
habits and dispositions of the crew, hastily ga-
thered together, and for the most part composed
of people who had never before been out of
a collier : some half dozen, indeed, had served
in Greenland vessels, but the laxity which is there
permitted, rendered them little better than the
former. A few men-of-wars-men who were also
on board, were worth the whole together. The
want of discipline, and attention to personal
comfort, were most conspicuous ; and though
the wholesome regulations practised in His
Majesty's service were most rigidly attended to
in the Terror, yet such was the unsociability,

* Fire hole — hole for drawing water in the event of fire.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A BRITISH SAILOR. 12Q

though without any ill-will, that it was only by
a steady and undeviating system pursued by the
first lieutenant, that they were brought at all
together with the feeling of messmates : at first,
though nominally in the same mess, and eating
at the same table, many of them would secrete
their allowance, with other unmanly and un-
sailor-like practices. This was another proof
added to the many I had already witnessed,
how greatly discipline improves the mind and
manners, and how much the regular service-man
is to be preferred for all hazardous or difficult
enterprises. Reciprocity of kindnesses, a gene-
rous and self-denying disposition, a spirit of
frankness, a hearty and above-board manner —
these are the true characteristics of the British
seaman ; and the want of these is seldom com-
pensated by other qualities. In our case, and I
mention this merely to show the difference of
olden and modern times, there were only three
or four in the ship who could not write. All
read ; some recited whole pages of poetry, others
sang French songs. Yet with all this, had they
been left to themselves, I verily believe a more
unsociable, suspicious, and uncomfortable set
of people could not have been found. Oh ! if
the two are incompatible, give me the old" Jack
Tar, who would stand up for his ship, and give
his life for his messmate.

K

130 A GENERAL MASQUERADE.

Nor were the efforts of the first lieutenant con-
fined to the enforcement of discipline or the regu-
lations of the mess; for, as I felt the importance
of amusing the minds of the crew during so
many hours of forced inaction by every innocent
device, he kindly undertook and personally super-
intended the getting up of a general masquerade.
The affair 'came off' on the 22d October; and
if the entertainment was not of a very refined cha-
racter, at all events it answered its purpose ; for
the fun was hearty and the laughter loud. Some
of the devices, as well as the contrivances to
give the necessary variety of costume, with the
scanty means at our command, did great credit
to the ingenuity of the performers ; and alto-
gether it was a gratifying scene, as showing how
the native elasticity of the mind can triumph
over circumstances the most cheerless and dis-
couraging.

October 23d. After divine service, which was
listened to with a stillness that evinced, more
than words could have done, the devout feeling
created by the impressive and beautiful language
of our liturgy, as the weather was very fine, the
people, under the direction of the officers, were
sent on the ice for exercise ; and I too, putting
on a pair of Chippewyan snow-shoes, sallied out
and made towards the land, which I reached
after more than two hours of great fatigue.

FATIGUING EXCURSION TO SHORE. 1S1

There was nothing besides the novelty of having
been on shore, to repay me for the trouble and
falls which I met with in getting there. A bare
jutting or rounded piece of granite was visible
here and there, the rest was covered with snow,
steep and inaccessible, and dipping to the
water's edge. It was a desolate solitude which,
from the absence of all tracks, seemed to be
equally abandoned by man and animals. At
that part, at least, there was no shelter ; and
when I reflected on the dangers by which we
were encompassed, and the casualties which
might befal us, I could not refrain from casting
an anxious look towards the ship, whose masts
alone were in sight above the peaked hummocks,
and imploring the protection of heaven.

The fatigue I experienced from my walk did
not arise from the distance, which at most could
not exceed six miles, but from the unevenness of
the surface, which, from the smooth and in some
places deep coating of snow that covered it, was
extremely deceitful. In stepping forward, it
often happened that my show-shoe was canted
over by some sharp piece out of sight, and I
myself thrown dowm ; but worse than this were
the ridges and hummocks, which being heaped
up to a considerable height demanded the ut-
most exertion to surmount. On one occasion
I slipped, and falling headlong into the snow,

k 2

132 FAVOURABLE POSITION OF THE SHIP.

found that I was between two thick masses of
ice, with my face down, and that I hung only
by the right snow-shoe, which, fortunately for
me, had turned so as to fix itself across two
pieces strong enough to support me. From this
awkward situation I was eight or ten minutes in
extricating myself, and congratulated myself not
a little on my escape. The fact is, that I ought
not to have been alone ; but as I was at present
the only person who could boast of a pair of
snow-shoes, no one could keep pace with me.
Every thing which I saw between the ship and
the shore, the heavy floes in some parts, and
the extreme pressure that must have existed in
others, served to reconcile me to the position
in which accident, or something better, had
thrown the ship, as affording a more favourable
chance of getting away than if we had been
nearer to the land.

October 24th, being the day of the full moon,
had been looked forward to with more than
ordinary interest, on account of the spring-
tide; though, from the cold we had experienced,
the snow which had fallen, and the uniform
compactness of the ice in every direction, it was
thought that it might now affect us but little,
if at all. The hour of change was ushered in by
a fresh westerly, or off-shore breeze, which
passed harmless over the surface of the vast

12

DISRUPTION BY A GALE. 133

body, only raising in its fury clouds of drift,
particularly about the land to the east-ward of the
ship. Scarcely, however, had the sun crossed the
meridian when a change came on for the worse,
and soon settled into a downright gale, such
as a fortnight ago would most likely have taken us
to Repulse Bay. Until 4h p.m. it had not made
the faintest impression on any part of the ice, but
at that time a lane of water was observed between
us and the shore, precisely where I had walked
over yesterday. Aided by the gale, which some-
times burst in heavy squalls, the channel went on
gradually expanding until night closed the view.
About 8h p. m. however, a crack directly ahead
and another on the starboard quarter were heard,
seeming to announce a general disruption, the
effect of which, at that hour of darkness and at so
late a season, it was impossible to foresee. Sleep
was banished, at least from me, and when the
morning of October 25th arrived, a continuous
sheet of water was seen extending from the
before-mentioned lane to Cape By lot, and thence
to seaward abaft our starboard beam. Two or
three other small openings were seen ; and the
ship unable to resist the power of the gale, had
worked a clear space of three inches along the
whole of the starboard side. By noon the
cracks ahead and astern were something enlarged,
and the lane of water on the starboard side

k 3

134 EXPANSION OF OPEN WATER.

seemed to be nearing us. The wind now began
to abate, and having caught a glimpse of the
land, we found that the ship had been driven
together with the pack to the eastward. The
temperature from 3°+ had risen to 26° + , the
breeze still prevailing from the west.

During the afternoon the sky continued over-
cast, and the wTind freshening up from the same
quarter, the ice began to set to the northward as
well as eastward, so that after a boisterous night,
we found ourselves much nearer to Cape Comfort.
The water too had increased considerablv, reach-
ing now from Cape Bylot to Cape Comfort ;
a second lane had been formed which, branch-
ing to seaward in a semicircular shape, joined
the principal opening near its two extremes,
and thus completely insulated the pack in
the centre of which the ship was fixed. How
far the channels led, and whether, supposing
we could have entered them, serviceable use
could have been made of them, was at best
matter of conjecture merely ; but on the
other hand, it was clear, that the separation of the
ice, so as to admit of the trial, would have
exposed us to the irresistible crushing of the
consolidated masses around, masses very different
from the straggling pieces which formerly
knocked against us, and cemented into vast
floes, whose momentum the ship, strong as she

SHIP CONTINUES FIXED. 135

was, could scarcely have withstood. Upon the
whole, therefore, it was gratifying to me to see
the ice, forming the pack in which we were,
remain firm ; for so long as that was the case,
however incommodious our position, it was at
least safe. Meantime we continued to drift as
before, until the wind getting round into the
east began to send us back again.

The temperature was 27° + , and the weather
extremely gloomy. By the morning of the 27th
we had not only altered the bearing of the ship's
head from west to east, but had drifted so far
out as to have a distinct sight of the land forming
the extreme point of the bay eastward of Cape
Comfort. There was also much more of clear
water along shore leading directly up Frozen
Strait, where, hanging over the Western Hills,
were dense clouds, similar to those near us, indi-
cating, beyond doubt, a continuation of the
same channel. That, therefore, for which we
had so long and anxiously waited — that which,
in two days at the most, would have terminated
our labours by allowing a free and unobstructed
passage to our anchorage, was now before us,
and we were helpless and immovable, fixed in
the solid mass as it were in a block of marble.
Again, the heavy clouds to the far east showed
open water in that direction also, so that at this
time, with an offshore breeze, a vessel might have

k 4

136 OFFICERS BUILD SNOW HOUSES.

sailed without impediment (so far as we could
judge) from one extremity of Southampton
Island to the other. In the direction of Baffin
Island indeed, and to the north, the horizon was
still white with ice ; but the fact of our having
drifted so far from the land proved, beyond
question, the existence of a clear sea thereabouts:
and though no immediate advantage could be ex-
pected from this circumstance, yet in conjunction
with what was daily passing near us, it afforded
the hope of a departure early enough for
carrying into effect the objects of the expedition
in the course of the following year. To behold
the open water so near, without a possibility of
reaching it, was mortifying enough, but we made
a virtue of necessity, and suppressed our feelings.
The usual occupations in cleaning the holds,
re-stowing and getting provisions for six months at
hand, with other necessary duties, were followed
up on board ; whilst for the preservation of health,
a moderate share of walking or rather working
exercise was taken on the ice. The officers
found employment and amusement in building
snow houses for various purposes, and among
others for an observatory, instead of that which
had been already put up with a sail covering, too
valuable to be risked upon so uncertain a found-
ation. My plans, as to magnetical observations,
were for the present completely frustrated by

WANT OF FUEL PREVENTS EXCURSIONS. 137

the motion of the ice, though I did not despair of
yet doing something in that respect during the
winter. At noon the weather was very gloomy,
with smoke-black clouds hanging over the water,
and seeming more heavy from mingling with a
greenish pale yellow which canopied the snow-
clad hills beyond. The wind was from the south-
ward and the thermometer showed 28°-f . The
next day the water remained still open, and in
the opinion of the ice-mate had greatly increased
towards the upper end or western extreme of
Frozen Strait. From alongside the ship how-
ever, to the nearest edge of the pack connected
with the water, the distance was at least a mile,
the whole of which was a succession of hum-
mocks, wedged and cemented by sludge and
snow into a mass so firm, as to defy any human
efforts to separate them. Yet so tempting was
that channel, so doubtful its re-occurrence when
we might be at liberty to avail ourselves of it,
that had there been wood, or the means of pro-
curing fuel around Repulse Bay, I could hardly
have resisted an attempt with the boats, whereby
half the object might have been accomplished by
the time the ship could have forced her way to
an anchorage. But without fire, the thing was
utterly impracticable, so I was compelled unwil-
lingly to submit.

The warming apparatus, of the repair of which I

138 FURTHER REPAIR OF HEATING APPARATUS.

spoke, had again been bricked np around the
furnace, and was now to undergo another trial,
which, it is painful to add, was equally unsuc-
cessful with the former. This second failure was
attributable to the shortness of the nuts and
the fineness of the threads of the screws, and fresh
leaks in the pipes ; a combination of evils which,
if not overcome by the skill of our armourer,
would reduce us to three common stoves, and
these, it is scarcely necessary to say, would be
utterly inadequate for warming the whole ship.
The damaged parts having been repaired, and
the whole once more replaced and tilled with
brine, the furnace was lighted ; but now, one
side only was warmed, the temperature of the
other being scarcely raised. The cause of this
was found to be the insufficiency of the liquid
forced into the circulating pipes, and this being
remedied, there was for a short time a prospect
that all would go right. But it was for a short
time only, for a fresh leak soon discovered itself,
and once more arrested the proceedings. The
people annoyed at these interruptions, and the
complication of the whole affair, with charac-
teristic humour, nicknamed it the infernal
machine, and prayed that we might not all be
blown up. Fortunately for us, the thermometer
was still high, viz. 26°-f .

The wind being light, we did not seem to vary

INCONVENIENCE OF THE VAPOUR. 139

our position much during the night, and yet in
the morning of the 29th it was evident that the
ice near the shore had by some means or other di-
minished in quantity, either by drifting away, or
from having been broken up by the tide. At
all events, the channel of water was certainly
nearer, and we ourselves closer to the land,
which remained shrouded in sombre clouds.
Much inconvenience was now experienced from
the great accumulation of moisture on the lower
deck. When the warming apparatus began to
throw out its heat this had partially disappeared ;
but that complex and most vexatious piece
of mechanism, after performing its office with
tolerable regularity for a few hours, again, with an
inexplicable caprice, confined its action to the
larboard side, and soon after, though there was
no visible defect, or any want of fire, grew
cold altogether, and consequently useless. To
remov7e the vapour for the present, two hang-
ing stoves were placed on the lower deck, which
answered the purpose, but half stifled with
their smoke those who were below.

The wind which had set in in the morning
from the N. E. blew with increasing strength as
the day closed ; and when the moon shone out,
a dark lane of water was supposed to be descried
between our pack and the coast which we were
rapidly nearing. Here, as at the more westerly

140 EXCURSION TO LAND.

part, the ice had almost entirely disappeared, so
that there was every reason to suppose we should
be brought up by the inner edge of the pack
striking the rocks. If this were realized, it was
to be expected that the concussion would not
only detach and pulverize the extremity imme-
diately in contact, but that the reverberation of
the shock might extend itself even to the ship,
free her from her icy bonds, and leave her once
more to the mercy of drift ice. This was
a consummation not to be wished, and I
passed a restless night. More than once it was
thought that the pack had actually struck the
land, but in the morning of Sunday, Oct. 30th,
the appearance was found to have been a delu-
sion, occasioned by the high and dark line of the
coast on this part of Southampton Island which
has been already described as adjacent to Cape
Comfort. After the accustomed examination,
and the religious duties of the day, the whole of
the crew, under the guidance of the first lieu-
tenant, made an excursion towards the nearest
land which, however, they were unable to reach,
on account of the interposition of a few feet of
water between the pack and the bay ice and
sludge adhering to the rocks. The distance from
the ship to the spot whence they returned, which
was considered about half way, was estimated at
something more than a mile. At noon, the

ANOTHER EXCURSION. 141

thermometer having been at 3°-+- rose to 9°+,
the wind from the westward. In the early morn-
ing two prismatic lunar halos had been seen. The
pack was now arrested by the young ice, which
on the following day I went to examine, in
company with a small party of the officers, who
continued their wralk to the shore. They re-
turned in the evening with an account of the
toil they had had in scaling the precipitous sides
of the rocks, which, there, were of red granite.
Seals and a recent track of a bear were seen, as
well as the excrement of Alpine hares. From
the summit of the hills, the young ice could be
traced ahead or to the eastward of the ship, almost
surrounding the pack, which was decidedly the
heaviest in sight. The weather being obscure
to the westward, nothing could be ascertained
in that quarter.

On November 1st, the thermometer was 10°+,
and the ice stationary. The holds having now
been arranged, as well as the coals would allow
with more advantage, the articles liable to
injury from the frost placed in midships, and
six months' provisions stowed near the hatches ;
there remained little of duty to occupy the at-
tention beyond the important one of setting to
rights the warming apparatus. Assuredly, no
pains were "spared to solve the puzzling
question, why it would not act. Some of the

142 TROUBLE OF HEATING APPARATUS.

pipes were again repaired and a volume of
hot salt-water having been driven with a forcing
pump from one extremity to the other, its
entire reparation was thought to be conclusively
established. The fire therefore was lighted, and,
as the warmth spread throughout the ship, it
was considered that all obstacles were finally over-
come, when suddenly, to our great and serious
disappointment, first the starboard side cooled
rapidly, and ten or twelve hours later the larboard
followed the example. The evil now began to
press on us the more heavily as our remedies
were failing ; for, not foreseeing nor imagining
such a succession of disasters, we had been sup-
plied only with such a quantity of mortar as might
be sufficient for making good any fracture in the
furnace, the whole of which was expended ; so
that it was necessary to leave it untouched until
some substitute could be discovered. As there
was reason to suppose that the pipes had become
foul or partially obstructed, I directed that a
stream of hot water should be forced through
the whole range of pipes for several hours with-
out interruption, and went myself to superintend
the operation. Half an hour's trial, without
visible result, convinced me that, to do anything
effectual, a part (at least) of the tedious con-
trivance must be unscrewed and examined, and
this, notwithstanding the confusion it would

AN EXPLORING PARTY. 143

create in the officers' cabins through which it
passed, and the doubt of our being able to put it
together again, was accordingly directed to be
done. In the mean time the temperature had
fallen to 22°—, throwing the lower deck into a
most uncomfortable state, and yet not so bad
as the after cabins, which were dripping with
moisture. Much to the credit of the officers
no complaints were heard, nor was the health of
any one affected. Moreover, under every dis-
advantage, the deck was kept perfectly dry.

November 4th. I accompanied a party of
officers to the land for the purpose of satisfying our
curiosity respecting an opening about three miles
from the ship, which had the appearance of a
harbour. The result in some measure verified
our conjecture, for we walked upwards of a mile
from the entrance to the further end, where,
providing the holding ground were good, any
vessel would be securely sheltered. From a
bold perpendicular rock, one of the many by
which it is girt in, the echo was so clear, that
an unhappy wanderer in these dreary solitudes
might have listened to his own voice, and fan-
cied himself no longer alone. We attempted to
ascend a sloping side to gain the heights above ;
but all except myself being unprovided with
snow-shoes, sunk so deep in the snow that the
effort was found too laborious, and was therefore
abandoned for another opportunity. In this

144 EXPERIMENT OF WEARING A MASK.

excursion a few tracks of bears, wolves, and
foxes, and our old acquaintance the raven were
seen ; and though the weather was fine, yet a
moderate breeze from the westward was quite
cold enough to freeze slightly the faces of two of
the gentlemen, which, however, the application
of a little snow soon restored to their former
florid hue. By way of experiment Lieutenant
Smyth put on a common mask, and at first con-
sidered it rather comfortable, until . getting
heated with exertion, a cake of ice was formed
inside, which, not being the kind of lining he
preferred, was immediately rejected, aid from
the face the mask was transferred to the end of
a boarding pike, the point being thrust, through
one of the eyes, and carried in that way over his
shoulder. With such a Gorgon's head, it was
laughingly remarked, we need not fear to face a
troop of bears. In the afternoon wre returned on
board. There was a broad sheet of bay ice
from the shore to the pack, but although now
firm enough, wre could form no opinion of what

might be when acted on by the ensu^g spring-
l !e. There was not the least sign of any tide-
mrrk along the rocks, though a cracking of the
iv as if it were sinking, was heard.

On inspection of the pipes it turned out, as I
anticipated, that a considerable quantity of rust
and dirt had accumulated in the starboard return
pipe, and this having been cleared out, tiie

ANNOYANCES FROM VAPOUR. 145

apparatus was again put together, and for a time
threw out a general heat. But after two days'
trial the heat, though occasionally as high as
60°+ between decks, was found to be too irre-
gular for the purpose mainly intended, of keep-
ing the interior dry by the action of a uniform
temperature. On the contrary, it rather seemed
to favour the generating of vapour, which now
ran in streams from every part. The officers'
cabins, gun-room, and midshipmen's berth were
miserably uncomfortable. It was in the after-
part, esp' cially near the first Lieutenant's cabin,
that the greatest accumulation of moisture was
observed, and there, as there seemed to be no
chance of an improvement, a stove was now :
permanently fixed. For the rest, the deck was
partly covered with snow, well beaten down, and
in default of gravel or sand, strewed with saw-
dust. Besides this, the after-hatchway or com- j
panion was closed, and a tank placed over it for
a condenser, while the ladder was transferred to
the main I .tchway, having a fearnought screen
round it L:.4ow, and a regular door entrance
above on deck. With these, and numerou
other precautions of a like kind, it was hope 1
we might contrive to get through the colde
months of the winter.

After service on Sunday, November 6th, the
people strolled on the ice, many extending their

L

116 SURVEY OF HARBOUR.

walk to the land. On the following day a party
under the orders of Lieutenant Stanley, was
directed to make a survey of the harbour.
This was completed by the evening. It was
ascertained to be one mile and a half long, and
half a mile broad, by admeasurement ; exposed
to a north-north-east wind, but sheltered from
all others. The echo-rock was six hundred and
fifty feet high ; some others varied from that to
eight hundred and fifty feet ; these again were
backed by the coast range, running generally
from one thousand to fourteen and sixteen hun-
dred feet above the level of the sea. Neither
the depth of water nor the nature of the bottom
could be got, on account of the under layers of
ice intercepting the lead. I called it Smyth's
Harbour, after the first Lieutenant of the Terror.
Some of the gentlemen ascended the hills by
the vallies, and observed on their way numerous
tracks of animals, — bears, wolves, foxes, and rein-
deer. A few willows were also seen, near which
were the tracks of partridges.

The pack in which we were frozen had now
remained so long unmoved, and the bay ice had
attained such a solidity, that many concluded
we were definitively fixed for the winter ; but
on the 8th November a fresh gale ushered in
the new moon, and before night drove the huge
pack from the inshore ice, leaving between the

PASS CAPE COMFORT. 147

two a dark lane of water. The land was
effectually shut out from view by the whirls
of drift raised by the gusty wind, but on the
following day, November 9th, a partial clearance
showed that the pack had not only drifted out,
but was also setting to the eastward, Cape
Comfort being at that time full on the beam.
After this, the same kind of weather continu-
ing throughout that day prevented us from
ascertaining the precise situation of the ship,
till daylight of the 10th, when we found we
had just passed Cape Comfort. Our pack, in
leaving the station where it had been so long
undisturbed, had carried away a considerable
portion of the bay ice attached to its edges, and
had now turned round about ninety degrees,
placing the stem of the ship towards the land,
and consequently leaving her head true north.
From the crow's nest much young ice was
observable on every side, but only in lanes
intervening between the heavier bodies, of which
it was remarked that our pack was the most
extensive. The thermometer still retained an
elevation which we thought high, viz. 11° + .

It may well be imagined that these spring-tide
changes of position gave rise to no little specu-
lation whither we might be driven by the time
the ice commonly breaks up. During the three
succeeding days we were blown backwards and

l 2

148 DRIVEN TOWARDS CAPE COMFORT.

forwards until the pack set in towards the shore
a little to the westward of Cape Comfort, and
here it was hoped we might remain undisturbed
up to the time of the next spring-tide : but not
so ; for a strong north-westerly breeze coining
on with heavy squalls and much drift, we wrere
again set in motion to the eastward, in an oblique
direction towrards the land, which, when seen at
intervals through the drift, appeared to be
nearer than we had yet approached. The tem-
perature now fell to 14°—, and this, though not
in fact so low as on some previous occasions
when the crew had walked out for exercise, was
found, with the aid of the breeze, too biting to
be faced without great discomfort ; and, conse-
quently, after our accustomed assemblage at
divisions and church on the 13th, the men were
directed to walk under the housing. Through-
out the latter part of the day and most of the
night, heavy squalls were frequent from the same
quarter, and though these had considerably
abated by the 14th, yet, to our astonishment,
the pack had taken us, according to Lieutenant
Stanley's measurement, within three thousand
six hundred and fifty yards of the inaccessible
cliffs of Cape Comfort, against which, therefore,
there was reason to apprehend that the ice might
strike, break up, and wreck the ship. The extra-
ordinary disappearance of extensive bodies of

12

RISK OF BEING CRUSHED. I'M)

inshore ice, and the occupation of their places by
the still heavier ones from seaward, seemed at first
quite unaccountable, till the fact was established
that two thirds of it were actually ground and r
pressed up to the height of twenty feet, in a solid
mass against the unyielding rocks. What fatal
consequences, therefore, might not be appre-
hended if any untoward fracture of the pack
should unmoor us from our present bed ! A
small hole of water was all that was visible from
the mast-head, but happily that was off the
point to the eastward, and between the pack
and the shore there was yet a weak barrier of drift
and bay ice to fend off any serious concussion.
The drift had spread such a uniform carpet over
the entire surface of the ice, that it seemed like
one immense floe, A vast proportion of it had
evidently been drifted down from the north-
ward, and having wedged itself between the
western extremity of our pack and Frozen
Strait, was thus, in combination with the wind,
gradually forcing us out : situated as we were,
this was a consummation most devoutly to be
wished, for our return to the strait was clearly
impossible, even if the wind should veer to the
eastward ; and any change of place was ob-
viously better than a position immediately off an
iron-bound cape.

And now again the annoyance returned which

l 3

150 HEATING APPARATUS CONDEMNED.

has been already mentioned oftener than I could
wish. In spite of every attention, our trouble-
some warming apparatus could not be made to
answer. Scarcely did it begin to throw out a
little heat than one pipe or other gradually
cooled, and left us teeming with vapour which it
had just had the power to generate. Not a day
passed without a complaint of its inefficiency.
In its best state the officers' cabins were drip-
ping, and a stove was necessary to dry the deck.
I had been most reluctant to abandon it
altogether, but at last, on repeated represen-
tations of its failure, I issued an official order
to the proper officers to survey it, and on their
report pronouncing its condemnation, I directed
the furnace and its appurtenances to be dis-
mantled, and availed myself of the lead and cop-
per attached to it, for fitting up a Fraser's stove
a little before the main-hatchway on the lower
deck.

November 16th. We continued to move ac-
cording to the direction of the wind, off the
point of Cape Comfort, with some holes of water
round the pack, caused by its own motion, but
did not get beyond it, either to the east or to the
west. I examined the recently formed ice near
the land, which wTas broken into slabs, and piled
up in the utmost confusion, so steep and irre-
gular as to be almost impassable. Just at the

DRIVEN FARTHER OUT. 151

edge of the pack, while keenly following the
fresh track of a bear, in the company of three of
the officers, we suddenly came to some gravel
evidently thrown up by the lower ice, and look-
ing more attentively round, observed that the
adjacent ice was in a raised and spherical form, as
if resting on a rock or bank of similar shape.
The pack was only a few yards from this, and
had evidently been arrested by it, as was further
demonstrated by a crack about twenty feet from
its edge. To get away from the shoal, there-
fore, would require an off-shore breeze ; nor was
this long wanting, for on the very same night
it blew fresh from the westward, and urging
the ice along the land, faster than might
have been expected in a neap-tide, by the fore-
noon of the 18th we had completely rounded
the Cape, and were considerably farther out
than we had been since the early part of last
month. On making an excursion with a small
party, I observed that our pack had received ano-
ther shock, and that an extensive crack on the side
nearest the land was the consequence. Again
I saw the same convexity of surface, terminated
by huge mounds of splintered fragments amount-
ing to hundreds of tons in weight, each piece or
fragment, though of this year's ice, being from
two to two and a half feet thick. The exist-
ence of shoals was manifest, since the pressure

l 4

152 ROBBED BY FOXES AND SHRIMPS.

causing the accumulation referred to, ceased
abruptly where this and other similar remark-
able elevations appeared. Beyond that line,
and occupying a full mile in breadth, was a
sheet of young ice, alternating with heaps of
a different character, and extending towards
the land, which, however, we were prevented
from reaching by a narrow lane of water. Tracks
of bears, wolves, and foxes were noticed, of which
the last mentioned alone ever ventured to ap-
proach the ship. Indeed these met with no very
friendly reception, having put an end to all
relations of amity, by stealing sundry pieces
of beef, left carelessly by the owners outside on
the snow. To do them justice however, they
were not the only depredators, as they soon ex-
perienced who, having been taught to mistrust
the honesty of the foxes, afterwards to be very safe,
sunk their allowance of beef in the " fire hole."
Alas! to adopt the pathetic lament of old Shylock,
M There be water thieves and land thieves :" and
here a greedy colony of shrimps made such
havock, that when in the morning one of the men
went to draw up the meat intended for the dinner
of his mess, he found in its place a few miserable
shreds, to which the pirates still clung with un-
satiated appetites. The temperature fluctuated
from 0° to about 21° — , but there were neither
aurora nor other phenomena to excite attention

DRIVEN CLOSE IN SHORE. 153

and employ the mind ; and all attempt to make
magnetic observations, except in occasional in-
stances, was frustrated by the constant moving of
the pack. This indeed was a serious disappoint-
ment, as we had many experiments in view, which
could not have failed to be highly interesting.

November 19th. The wind veered to the south-
east, and some signs were observed of water in the
opposite quarter, occasioned, as we knew, by the
motion of our own pack. The night was unusually
calm, yet it was apparent to every one that some
disturbing force was carrying us rapidly towards
the frowning precipices not a gun-shot distant.
The attention of those on deck was riveted to
sounds distinctly heard of breaking ice, crashing
and grinding with a discord the more horrible,
as with that exception nature was in dead re-
pose. When day dawned it appeared that we had
been driven to the westward, and close in shore,
where the bay ice was still in tumultuous agi-
tation, having been thrown up against the rocks
in some shelving places, to the height of thirty or
forty feet. After church a large party went to
the edge of the pack, or floe, as it was now
termed, and witnessed the work of destruction as
it went on. It was a spectacle indeed not less
sublime than appalling ; filling the mind with
awe, and at the same time inspiring it with
devotional gratitude to that Being whose Pro-

154 THERMOMETER RISES.

vidence watched over us and preserved us in the
midst of such fearful perils. On the 21st Novem-
ber we moved but little, though close in with the
point of Cape Comfort, and therefore exposed to
the influence of those alternate tides which
worked so much confusion amongst the bay ice.
The wind however began to blow fresh and
steadily from the south-east, with the same degree
of force which had hitherto characterized it on
the days of full and change. In consequence
of this change the thermometer showed a dis-
position to rise, and on the 22d was 9° + , the
weather being overcast, and the ship farther off
shore. Still, notwithstanding the continuance
and strength of the wind, we did not increase our
distance from the land so much as might have
been expected, a circumstance which can only be
accounted for by supposing that its influence was
partial, or that ice had accumulated in the north
so as to prevent any egress in that direction.
Whatever it was, we certainly had not been drifted
more than five miles ; and after the period of full
moon, an opposite breeze sent us again in shore,
altogether to the westward of the Cape.

On making holes at two places, a quarter of
a mile apart, the thickness of the ice beneath the
covering of snow, wras found to be not more than
two and two and a half feet. Much snow now
fell, and even with a fresh northerly wind, the

14

HUGE MASS OF ICE. 155

temperature was 11° + , So mild did the weather
continue, with every wind, for several consecutive
days, that the snow remained fleecy and soft,
and, obliterating every trace of the old tracks,
perplexed us considerably in our daily exercise.
Our floe had undergone a change of form from
the pressure on the extremities, and having been
forced against the compact and solid ice off
the western low point of Smyth's Harbour,
a large portion of it had broken and separated
from the main body. On examining it myself,
I saw that there were cracks in all directions,
and concluded that two more such encroach-
ments would infallibly extend to us : nor was
it possible to avoid the reflection that no art
could save us, if we were once exposed to the
grinding pressure of the mass against the
rocks. Communication with the shore was cut
off ; but having followed the channel some way
to seaward, it was found to be connected with
another open space of more than usual extent,
though now fast becoming coated with thin ice.
Nor was this distant from the ship ; and within
a few hundred paces was an accumulation of
ponderous masses of ice, the interstices between
which were filled up with snow drift, so firmly
cemented, and of such height, that it might
well have passed for a berg. From its summit

156 RAPID MOTION OF THE ICE.

I looked down into the Terror's main-top. One
of the crew saw some fish in the water which
he described to be as large as salmon, but we
were unable to set lines, owing to the overlap-
ping of the ice below the surface.

November 28th. There had been a dark
steel- coloured sky, extending from about Winter
Island to the situation of Repulse Bay, so ex-
actly resembling that which indicates open
water, that we could not forbear imagining
the ice in the centre of the Welcome to have
broken up. That some such occurrence must
have taken place was indeed evident, for the ice
was now perpetually in motion, and we were
driven occasionally five or seven miles. A
strange refraction of the horizon to the north
was remarked about sunrise, or rather when the
sun was seen just above the south-eastern hills.
At the part to the north the sky was a dark
grey, and the icy horizon appeared in detached
horizontal lines at a very acute angle. The
temperature fell to 1G° — , with a moderate
wind from the westward. Without much vari-
ation in the state of the weather, a very sensible
diminution was brought about on the edge
of the floe by the successive action of the in-
shore ice against it. But as the temperature
had fallen to 30°— of Pastorelli's thermometer,

AMUSEMENTS. 157

and 38°— of Newman's, it was rather thought
that the detached pieces might again unite and
form a stronger bulwark of defence than before.

It has been already mentioned that the crew
were daily exercised on the ice ; and as it
seemed better that the mind should be fixed on
some object, the accomplishment of which might
be looked forward to with a sort of interest,
the whole were directed to build up snow walls
and galleries in different directions from the
ship. These being destined for the comfort of
all, the work was cheerfully undertaken, and
the operators were rewarded with a proportion-
able stock of health. Good, however, as was
the general health, it was necessary to relieve
the monotony of scene and occupation ; and
in this view the officers kindly undertook to
perform a play for the amusement of the men.
Accordingly, on November 29th, a day speci-
ally selected on account of the gallant action
off Pelagossa, 1811, (such had been the deep
impression left by Sir J. Gordon's good offices
and urbanity), every preparation that our limited
means would permit having been made, it was
announced that the Farce of Monsieur Tonson
would be acted that evening. The exhibition
at the appointed hour, ushered in by an
appropriate prologue from the first lieutenant,
and set off by scenery from the brush of the
same accomplished performer, occasioned hearty

158 CRUSHING OF ICE.

laughter, plentiful plaudits, and in conclusion,
three hearty cheers. After the performance,
the dramatis personam, with the other officers,
passed a few hours together ; and I question
whether in any other quarter of the globe, an
equal number could be found more free from
care than were the merry group so assembled.

The sea, however, was not charmed into inac-
tivity, for the usual grating noise was heard by
the watch on deck, and in the morning the floe
was found to have turned in more towards the
shore. A drift was skimming over the ice,
which rendered walking, even with the advan-
tage of snow-shoes, a more severe task than was
agreeable ; but being desirous to see what effect
had been produced by the uproar of the night,
I went to our nearest boundary, and found that
it had suffered further encroachment, and was
crushed and thrown up like the rest beyond it.
Dark, and therefore recently formed ice, occu-
pied some conspicuous openings, though this
could scarcely last beyond the next tide.

December 3d. The temperature now began
to decrease rapidly. The difference between
Pastorelli's thermometer and mine, made by
Newman (the same which I had with me on my
last expedition), amounted to eight degrees, the
former being 31°-, and the latter 42° — . I
determined to test them by exposing a saucer
of mercury to the atmosphere. In the course

THERMOMETERS. 159

of an hour it became dull in colour and flat-
tened at its edges, and in two hours and a
half more was frozen. In the interval Pasto-
relli's had fallen to 35° 5' — , and New-
man's to 44° — . After this test the one last
mentioned was fixed on a post about seventy
paces from the ship, and thenceforth registered
as the standard thermometer ; the others, how-
ever, north and south, as well as one contained
in a tin case perforated with holes and hoisted
to the mast-head, being also noted in the log-
book. The cold was now sufficiently severe to
freeze some of the people as they were employed
on the ice ; the temperature being 49° — .
However, being desirous to satisfy my doubts
about the practicability of getting on shore, and
as to the extent of the bay ice near us, I went on
snow-shoes, and on arriving at the boundary of
the floe, which just at that part was unaltered,
found a narrow lane of water kept from
freezing by the agitation caused by the moving
ice. Thinking that the lane did not extend far,
I skirted along it, first towards the west, and
then more north, until I lost sight of the ship.
In this distance, perhaps about six or seven
miles, the breadth of the lane was much reduced,
but a continuous crack, in places large enough
to admit a boat, ran in an easterly direction fur-
ther than I could venture alone. But what

160 ACCIDENT TO THE CARPENTER.

most excited my attention was the comparative
thinness of those portions of floe ice which had
been detached from what we considered as our
property ; for though upon a hasty glance it
looked thick and solid, yet a nearer inspection
convinced me that this appearance was owing
solely to a compact crust of snow, the ice itself
being certainly not more than sixteen inches
deep. Coupling so important a fact with the
numerous fractures for three hundred yards
from the extremity of the floe, there did not
seem much reason to apprehend a protracted
detention in what had hitherto proved a place of
refuge and security. A thick misty haze from
the water impeded the view towards Frozen
Strait, but up to the most distant point there
was a mixture of old and young bay ice, so
that in the event of a fresh easterly breeze,
there would be nothing to oppose our setting
again towards Cape Bylot. The cold was so
piercing that, although to prevent being frost-
bitten I walked fast enough to keep up a drip-
ping perspiration, yet on regaining the ship
one of my toes was rather sharply touched.

December 4th. After divine service the
people went to walk, according to custom, and
being close to the young ice, one of them, a
carpenter, was thoughtless enough to step upon
it, and immediately sunk to his arms, which,

B

■

>.

GOOD EFFECTS OF THE DUCKING. 1()1

being extended, checked his further descent.
His cries attracted the attention of Lieutenants
Smyth and M'Murdo, who, with^Mr. M'Clure,
being close by, instantly rescued him. The
temperature at that time was 43°— in the air.
He spoke of the immersion as having given a sen-
sation of pleasant warmth, doubtless attributable
to the difference (15°) between the water and the
atmosphere. On being placed on the ice, his
first request was to be permitted to sit down,
and as in the absence of the officers he would
in all probability have done so, he would inevi-
tably have been frozen, perhaps to death. They,
however, so far from acceding to his wish, com-
pelled him to run ; and when he was no longer
able to do so from fatigue and the stiffness of his
icy garments, he was forcibly pushed forwards
until he reached the ship, where blankets had
been prepared for his reception. These he
declined, as he well might, for on disencum-
bering him of his clothes, it was seen that he
was in a profuse perspiration, and thus, all
apprehension being removed, the whole affair
was converted into a jest. It was not, however,
without a good effect, as affording a warning
against incurring unnecessary risks for the
future.

December 8th. The interval since the last
spring-tides had been free from any striking dis-

M

162 SCHOOL FOR THE CREW.

turbance of the ice, and now that they had
come round again, we were nearly in the same
place as before, the only change being, that the
ship's head was turned something more in shore.
The calmness of the weather, so different from
what had hitherto been experienced at this
period, excited general observation. On most
former occasions the usual attendants of the
spring-tides were squalls and boisterous gales,
charged with snow and drift. But now every
thing was still except the dull grinding of the
ice along the rocks — a sound which time and use
do not familiarize, but which still comes like a
warning, useful, perhaps, though disagreeable.
It was odd enough, that having made a large
kite for the express purpose of sending up a
register thermometer, we had not even wind
enough to raise it. A faint aurora was seen
during the night for a short interval, but that
phenomenon, so vivid and brilliant in the territo-
ries of the Hudson Bay Company, is evidently
rare in this locality. An evening school for the
men was instituted under the superinten dance
of the first Lieutenant and occasionally visited by
myself.

I ought to mention, that though our sub-
stitutes of stoves on the lower deck answered
tolerably well, yet they did not keep the place
effectually dry \ for notwithstanding our tank

TIDE SEPARATES ICE. 103

condenser and other precautions, the most unre-
mitting attention of the proper officers could
not altogether prevent the accumulation of mois-
ture in particular spots. In such cases, our only
remedy was to use the stoves belonging to the
boats, and as these, having no funnels to carry off
the smoke, almost suffocated us, it will be readily
believed that nothing but necessity induced us
to resort to them. It was found, moreover, that
the hot air from below froze against the inside of
the housing, producing a most disagreeable efflu-
via : to counteract this, a square hole was cut in
the roof of the housing, whicli being opened
occasionally had the desired effect. But these
inconveniences were trifles in comparison with
what might have been expected from the failure
of the heating apparatus.

Though the clear weather which so unexpect-
edly continued was free from fresh winds, yet
the tides separated the ice, so as to leave open
places in various directions. Through the night
there had been a squall or two from the south-
east, and on the morning of the 10th a broad
lane of partly open water was seen to extend
round the floe to seaward, and to maintain a
continuous line directly towards the land, east of
Cape Bylot. Ice and a water sky were observable
beyond that again, but there was no connecting
channel or opening from the one lane to the other*

m 2

i(H CURIOUS PHENOMENON.

Our own position was something nearer the
rocks, and moreover a little to the westward.

There being now, as was thought, wind enough
for the kite, it was sent up, but as in repeated
trials it only mounted about two hundred and
fifty feet, we desisted. It was evident, indeed, that
the wind only prevailed to that height, which
was also, according to appearance, nearly the
height of the dark vapour surrounding us.

It had been remarked for a considerable time,
that though the water immediately froze every-
where else, yet on the larboard beam of the ship,
about ten or twelve feet from the bends at the base
of the snow embankment, there was always sludge,
or on its removal, salt-water in its place, though
the ice beneath was solid. I remember three in-
stances of the same kind in rivers, where, not-
withstanding the low state of temperature, the
surface for some distance, near particular spots,
was invariably so moist, that our snow-shoes
were coated with ice, which it was necessary to
scrape away. In the present instance, the phe-
nomenon was not confined to any precise period,
but existed through the neap as well as the
spring tides. The days now dwindled fast away,
the sun being only visible for a few minutes at
11 o'clock. It rose above the edge of a serrated
hill, and in favourable weather, brightened the
gloomy outline. Its altitude wras 2° 10'.

REGISTER THERMOMETER. 165

December 12th. The floe had nearly resumed
its old position, and was steadier than of late. In
consequence of this, two of the people reached the
shore over the bay ice, which for upwards of a
mile was much thrown up and packed. To sea-
ward, indeed, a very visible reduction of the floe
had taken place from sheer pressure, which in
many parts had ploughed it up and broken it
into comparatively small pieces. The wind
having increased enough to accomplish the rais-
ing of the kite, it was sent up with a self-regis-
ter in g thermometer. This showed a difference
of eight degrees greater cold at twelve hundred
feet perpendicular than on the ice, the figures
being zero, and eight degrees minus. It may
be remarked, also, that the spirit thermometer
at the mast-head, which had hitherto during the
recent weather, when the wind did not extend
beyond the surface, indicated less cold than those
on deck, stood, when the kite was up, at three
degrees plus, or greater cold than below, agree-
ing in this respect with Six's.

December 13th. The ice remained almost
stationary, and enabled one of the officers to
reach the shore. Here he saw a reindeer, which
at first bounded from him, but soon, as if not
quite convinced that it had cause for alarm,
turned round and trotted back again, gazing and
moving slowly on until Mr. Gore, having crept

m 3

166 REIN-DEER KILLED.

on his hands and knees near enough, killed it at
the first shot. His exploit had been witnessed
from the ship, and some men were immediately
dispatched with a sledge to bring on board the
unlooked-for addition to our Christmas fare. It
was very lean, and when skinned, only weighed
60 lbs., the head included. This event, how-
ever, raised the emulation of our sportsmen, of
whom several started early on the following day,
but they saw only three wolves, which made the
vallies echo with their howling. The weather
was still fine, and the thermometer high, varying
from 20° — to 5° — , which, without wind, we
thought satisfactory enough. The extreme edge
of the sun's upper limb was barely visible now
above the lowest hill.

A tranquil interval of uninterrupted clear
weather followed, and all anxiety was set at rest
by the firm adhesion of the ice to the land,
which was nowT almost daily visited either for
exercise or amusement. A few more deer were
seen, and a Polar hare as well as two white
partridges shot. Lines also were set for fish, but
in this attempt we failed. A young fox had
been slightly wounded and caught. It was put
into an open snow hut and secured, but though
in the night it got loose, it made no attempt to
escape ; on the contrary, it diverted itself by
running round the ship, and quietly retreated to

RAPID FALL OF THERMOMETER. I67

the hut, where it soon burrowed. When any
one attempted to caress it, the little creature
made a half stifled snarl, and snapped, but not
viciously, at the extended hand. It rejected
biscuit, but devoured a tallow candle with avidity
and seeming satisfaction.

From our proximity to the shore, the sun had
not been visible since the 12th instant, when its
altitude a few minutes after llh was 1° 40' ; yet,
according to our perception, little if any difference
was observed in the diminution of daylight. At
length the 21st December arrived ; and as the
moon would be at full on the following day, we
began to fancy that another spring- tide would
pass by with impunity. Indeed every circum-
stance concurred to confirm the opinion, until
towards night, when the barometer began to
fall with such precipitation as to prepare the
minds of all for some uncommon occurrence.
The mercury which had stood at 30 inches,
had, in the course of eighteen hours, which
brought it near the time of change, fallen to
28. 26. During this interval the wind had
been light and unsteady, veering round the
compass, but at llh a. m., December 22d, it
settled at S.S.E., and soon blew hard. While
these changes were in progress the whole sky had
become overcast, and a dense haze, occasioned
by the partial falling of snow, limited the view

M 4

168 FEARFUL STORM.

to a very few yards. Hearing a rustling noise
like the rushing of water apparently beneath us,
we supposed that the floe was already separated,
and that the consequences would soon be ma-
nifested alongside, but very shortly all specula-
tions were merged in the reality before us.
Since our departure from England no such
storm had been experienced. Within an hour
it raged with such fury, that not a man could
face it. Several who endeavoured to perform
some duty outside the ship were instantly frost-
bitten, and obliged to return, and the officer of
the watch in merely going from the housing to
the tafrail to register the thermometers had the
whole of his face frozen. Not that the tem-
perature was so low as it had been a few days
previous, for it was then 53° minus, and now
only 30° minus, but the rapid extraction of heat
was beyond endurance, and a very short expo-
sure would have been certainly fatal to the
hardiest.

As nisfht advanced the barometer indicated a
change, but the storm still raged like a hurri-
cane, and covered the ship with snow drift.
Our topmasts shook like wands, and the lee
rigging was forced out like a bow : piles of snow
were whirled on the lee side of the housing,
until the chain which sustained the rough spar
that formed the ridge pole broke, and the

FLOE CRACKS. 169

accumulated weight fell ; but the end of the spar
fortunately striking the windlass, was stopped in
its descent, and thus saved the barge, which
otherwise must have been severely if not irre-
parably injured. As the wind was directly
off shore, there was no great cause for appre-
hension as to the holding together of the floe,
unless indeed the drift should cause sufficient
open water to admit of any sea rising, for in
that case the result was certain. Though the
fury of the tempest gradually abated, it was not
entirely exhausted until the 24th. Then the sky
was again serene, and a tolerably clear view
showed us that instead of having been driven
out towards Frozen Strait, we were actually
twelve or fourteen miles to the eastward of
Cape Comfort. This can be accounted for only
on the supposition that the flood-tide had come
from the Welcome through Fury and Hecla
Straits, and, taking the channel of the Frozen
Strait, had met the course of the gale nearly at
right angles, and thus produced a mean line
of direction for the ship between the two, which
in fact answered to the position.

Our floe was slightly cracked within a few yards
from either side ; but in other respects it looked
more extensive and firmer than ever. This was
verified by examination, for the high tide had
raised the entire body of old and young ice to

170 GLOOMINESS OF THE CREW.

the very rocks, and with the aid of the gale,
the whole mass having been driven away, an
interval was produced, which was already firmly
frozen over. As to the rest, no water was
visible ; but what gave us infinitely more
pleasure, the sun peeped over the distant moun-
tains, gladdening us with his returning beams,
after a short absence of twelve days. It was a
glorious and a joyful sight, when we considered
that each day would make its influence more
felt, and that at last, having liberated us from
our crystal bonds, it might light us to a happy
issue of our labours.

Sailors, it is proverbial, are naturally light
hearted, and have in general a great flow of
animal spirits ; but in this respect ours most
assuredly differed from their brother tars. Whe-
ther this arose from the services in which they
had been brought up, or from their never having
been subject to the salutary influence of naval
discipline, I know not, but certainly their want
of cheerfulness was not attributable to any lack
of example or encouragement on the part of the
officers. For about six hours every day except
Sundays, they were kept at some easy work on
the ice, as was absolutely requisite for their
health ; but it was in vain that we endeavoured
to lead them into the wholesome habit of amusing
themselves with games or dancing, to cheer their

THEATRICALS OF THE MEN. 171

spirits, and while away the long hours of our
winter evenings. The most trivial cold or other
complaint induced despondency, and an attack
in the joints of the legs and limbs attended with
extravasation of blood, for which it may be re-
marked there was some difficulty in accounting,
excited the most discouraging apprehensions.
Under these circumstances, I was not a little
delighted when informed that they had contrived,
in imitation of the officers, to get up a play, and
had appointed Christmas Eve for its performance.
In due time two farces were announced for
representation, the " First Floor" and the * Be-
nevolent Tar ;" and these went off with unbounded
applause in a stifling atmosphere between decks,
though outside the thermometer stood at 30° — .
Christmas Day which succeeded, was duly and
religiously observed ; neither were the personal
comforts, more majorum, neglected, for, as we
were on two thirds' allowance, I directed a
double portion to be served of all but spirits, and
thus gave the men a treat without intoxication.
The officers also dined together ; and, among other
luxuries which the providence of the caterer had
furnished, was a haunch of the rein-deer, shot by
Mr. Gore, and what every one most anxiously
looked forward to, a smiling plum pudding, the
considerate and substantial gift of Sir James
Gordon's amiable family, who in this way had

172 FOOTBALL.

largely contributed to our comforts. With these
incitements to enjoyment, no wonder that care
was forgotten ; mirth prevailed, friends were
toasted, home remembered, and the evening
passed quickly and happily away.

December 26th, some occasional gusts of wind
came from the south-east, and as well as the
mist over the land would allow us to judge, we
seemed to have gone a little to the eastward.
The severity of the cold daily increased : the
temperature was. 44° — ; and as the effect of this
was aided by strong winds and gales from the
north-west, it is not surprising that we felt it more
acutely than formerly. All occupation outside
the ship, except for amusement merely, was now
abandoned, for notwithstanding the unremitting
endeavours of the officers to keep the men in
sufficient exercise for the rapid circulation of the
blood, such was their perverseness or sluggishness,
that though constantly frost-bitten from mere
want of exertion, they would lounge about, when
left to themselves, with the listlessness which be-
longs to a tropical climate. One expedient pro-
posed was the game of football, and every day, the
whole crew were made to play at this active and
amusing diversion with the officers, who left no-
thing untried to encourage them. Still in spite
of all our efforts, fresh men were daily seized
with numbness of limbs, affections of the gums,

SCURVY. 173

and other symptoms of scurvy. The gunner,
Mr. Donaldson, was in a very feeble state, not
being able to walk more than a quarter of an hour
without assistance ; and many more were limping
and complaining of general debility. As the
most sedulous attention had been bestowed, both
as to the quantity and the quality of the clothing
of every one, we were satisfied that this unwel-
come visitation, from which recent voyages to
this quarter have been for the most part happily
exempted, could not be attributed to any defici-
ency in these respects. Neither could it be as-
cribed to any deficiency in quantity or sameness
in kind of food, since fresh preserved meat with
maccaroni or rice, pickles and lime juice, had
been issued twice a week. But that nothing
might be omitted towards the eradication of the
evil, the last named article was now directed to
be served out three times, and an extra quantity
of preserved soup, cranberries, and other fruits
in our possession, considered to be anti-scorbutic,
were likewise placed at the disposal of the medi-
cal gentlemen. As it was necessary to prohibit
the use of spirits to such as were attacked, a
privation which few sailors like, they were apt to
conceal their situations, until detected by their
limping. I therefore directed Doctor Donovan
to examine the whole crew, when only two or
three additional cases, and those slight, were dis-

174 ANNOYANCES FROM STOVES.

covered : this system was continued afterwards
at stated times, independently of the daily in-
spection at divisions. Hitherto the officers had
escaped every complaint, although two were now
temporarily indisposed from a return of attacks
to which they had been previously subject in
other climates ; yet as these would probably have
manifested themselves anywhere else, they did
not create the same uneasiness as the former. I
do not feel my self competent to pronounce in what
the malignant disease had its origin with us ; but
when it is considered that the difference of
temperature, between the outside and inside of
the ship, amounted frequently to one hundred
and ten degrees, that the air outside was pure
and extremely dry, whilst that inside was fetid and
excessively moist, there seems to be good ground
for presuming that this was, if not the source,
certainly a great aggravation of the evil. The
total failure of the warming apparatus had indeed
proved a serious misfortune. The stoves were
just sufficient to produce a warm current about
the central line of the deck, whilst the sides were
cool enough to convert this into vapour, which,
having accumulated within the cabins, streamed
down the sides and from over head, until they
were half afloat. If open stoves were brought
down to dry up the vapour, we were half suffo-
cated by the sulphuric odour of the coals ; and

CANVASS FUNNEL. 175

the sick, who had no other retreat, were tortured.
Condensers of various kinds had been tried and
some wrere still continued ; but at last it occurred
to me that it w<ould be worth while to try the
effect of a long canvass funnel, fixed on the top
of the doorway and carried above the housing,
in the hope that a considerable part of the im-
pure atmosphere below might thus be carried off.
This wras no sooner fixed than the advantages
were at once perceptible ; a continuous stream of
vapour rose through it resembling smoke, for
which, indeed, a novice would have taken it. A
difference of temperature of eighteen degrees was
the consequence ; but, for the first time, we could
see along the whole length of the lower deck.
The two following days were so bitterly cold, the
wind still blowing fresh from N. N. W., that no
exercise could be taken outside the ship.

On the 31st the wind veered a few points to
the north, but with scarcely any diminution in
force, and we were confined to the semi-circular
space inclosed between snow wralls on the larboard
side of the ship, and called humourously enough
"the Court-yard." But notwithstanding foot-
ball twice a day and a swing from the bowsprit,
which, as a novelty, was for a time much used,
the liability to pains in the legs still continued ;
to obviate which, still further precautions were
taken against damp clothing by fitting up a dry-

176 DRYING ROOM.

ing-room, and requiring every man to hang up
his clothes there on coming in from the outside
air. That there might be no evasion or remiss-
ness on the part of the more negligent, proper
officers were specially appointed to see these
directions carried into execution. And thus un-
comfortably ended the fourth month of our impri-
sonment, and the last of this disastrous year.

177

CHAPTER IV.

Extraordinary Disruption. — Anxieties. — Rapid Change. —
Commotion. — Masquerade. — Results of Commotion. ~
Temperatures. — Invalids. — Anxiety for the Floe. —
Advantages of Situation. — Death of a Sailor. — Reflec-
tions.— Desolation of the Land. — Curious Meteor. — Land
Excursions. — Tracks of Animals. — Increase of Sick. —
Precautions. — Phenomena. — Invalids, — Spirits of Crew
improve. — Weather. — Grinding of Ice. — Health. — Under-
currents.— Floe diminishes. — Phenomena of Ice. — Callosity
of Limbs, — Intensely cold. — Influence of Sun. — More
Limpers. — Death of Mr. Donaldson. — Fine Weather. —
The Coast. — Soundings as before. — Set of Current.. —
Heavy Gale. — Gale abates. — Holes of Water.

Ihe 1st January, 1837, which, at the request
of Mr. M'Clure, was duly ushered in by sound
of bell, brought with it more auspicious omens.
After a week of storm and drift, in which
all around had been enveloped in impene-
trable obscurity, the barometer had now risen to
the unusual height of 30. 70, betokening a change
which the day fully realized. There was a per-
fectly unclouded sky, a bright sun just seen
above the mountains, and a heavenly calm.
For the first time too, the coast, from which we
might be ten miles distant, was now visible ; and
we had the agreeable satisfaction to know that we
had been carried to the eastward with the entire

N

178 EXTRAORDINARY DISRUPTION. [CHAP.IV.

body of ice, not less than forty-five miles, so
irresistible was the power of a heavy gale
and a spring-tide over the boundless ranges of
ice, which were thrown up in chaotic confusion
around us. Suddenly a portentous crash, fol-
lowed by a loud, quick, and rumbling noise,
rent the floe in various directions, and even
within one hundred and sixty yards from the
ship. Strange rushing sounds, too, were heard
throughout the night; and in the morning of
January 2d, the openings were found to be
much wider, and many new cracks threatened
a further diminution of our now circumscribed
floe. It is remarkable that in the meantime
there was not the lightest breath of air ; nor can
I ascribe any other reason for this extraordinary
disruption than a possible compression or stop-
page of the ice, by the Fife Rock on the one
hand, and the coast on the other. It may be
also, that there were shoals inshore of us, though,
on sounding, it required one hundred and fifteen
fathoms to reach the bottom. Towards noon, a
breeze sprung up from the S. S. W., freshened,
and in the evening fell again, without producing
any sensible effect on the ice. In the night a
faint aurora displayed itself; and, on the following
morning the appearance of another point of land
to the eastward showed us that we had receded
still further from the off shore. All our anxiety,

CHAP.TV.] ANXIETIES. 179

however, was now centred in the floe, which
to our regret we beheld still further contracted
by several other lanes of water, or rather young
ice, within a short distance from the ship ;
while towards the horizon, and again in shore,
the body seemed to be more compact, although,
the whole of yesterday, a long line of dark
vapour was observed rising from that place.
Thus, the same substance that had remained
firm and unbroken throughout the raging of
the storm was in a few hours of calm all
shattered and disjointed ; and the sense of secu-
rity which a day or two ago had cheered us in
the midst of our discomforts, was suddenly, and
at a time when it was least expected, converted
into distrust and apprehension. Such are the
strange caprices of Polar navigation, and such
the revolutions of feeling to which the adventurer
is continually subject! Happy is the tempera-
ment which can preserve its equal balance be-
tween the extremes of hope and despondency.

The barometer had reached the unusual
height of 30 in. 84-. ; and what is equally sin-
gular, the thermometer rose from 34° — to 13° — ,
under the influence of a very clear blue sky and
calms, a fact utterly at variance with all my
former experience. The sun rose above the moun-
tains to the southward at 10h I5m a. m. The
extremes of land at noon bore from S. S. E. ± E«

N 2

180 RAPID CHANGE. [CHAP.IV.

to about W. N. W., and the distance from the
nearest point was estimated at fifteen or seven-
teen miles. Until night the ice remained almost
stationary, but a grinding noise was then distinctly
audible to the eastward, which with temporary
interruptions continued for many hours. The
aurora was frequently observed in the south-east
quarter, flitting to and from the zenith, but
had nothing remarkable either in colour or
appearance.

As the morning of January 4th dawned, a
great crashing intimated that some serious
change was in progress, and on making the tour
of our sadly curtailed floe, we found that the
western opening had closed a little, while that
on the larboard bow was considerably enlarged.
We had thus been again favoured ; for the com-
pactness of the ice, immediately around us, was
preserved by a wide lane of open water between
us and the land. So rapid had been the tran-
sition that, except one part of the edge, not a
particle was left to tell where the large tract of
bay ice, brought with us from Frozen Strait, had
been; the space which it had occupied being con-
verted into what was not inaptly compared to
an extensive lake. The light breeze from the
eastward could scarcely have effected this, which
probably therefore was partly the result of cur-
rent or tide. The same cause, whatever it was,

CHAP. IV.] COMMOTION. 181

had carried the ship a few miles to the west ;
for at noon the observed latitude was 64° 51' N.,
and longitude 82° 15' W. Thermometer 11°—.
Weather clear.

For three successive days the ice around us
opened and closed so as frequently to leave our
small floe entirely insulated ; at each closing,
however, it was but too evident that we were
losers by the concussion. Fortunately, at least
as we supposed, the weather though overcast re-
mained almost calm, leaving us exposed only to the
action of the spring-tide, which on this occasion
(from what cause we knew not) produced no
further disturbance than to send us something
nearer to the shore ; a remarkable cliff being now
not more than seven or eight miles distant. On
the night of the 7th, a moderate breeze from
the north-west created a terrific din immediately
astern of the ship, and so great was the pressure
that the ice was actually ploughed up ten or
twelve feet, while the rumbling and crashing
underneath and along the surface effectually
marred our rest. Daylight of the 8th exhibited
the same opening immediately ahead, and the
floe diminished ; still as many parts of it consisted
merely of frozen sludge covered with snow,
which could not of course be expected to offer
effectual resistance against the battering and pres-
sure of a more solid substance, we were not with-

n 3

182 MASQUERADE. [CHAP.IV.

out alarm for its durabil ity. A few of the men were
attacked by the same extraordinary rigidity of the
muscles of the legs, which I have spoken of before.
Mr. Donaldson, and Walker, one of the seamen,
were in a very critical state. All who were un-
able to walk were dragged about on sledges for
the benefit of air ; and improvements wrere con-
tinually suggested and carried into execution for
adding to the dryness and wholesomeness of the
lower deck. Nor were our efforts relaxed to
cheer the spirits and divert the minds of the crew.
Another masquerade was got up and went off
with much spirit and humour, aided not a little
by the introduction, in character, of several comic
songs from the pen of Mr. Smyth. The barometer
had fallen a little, but the temperature of the air
was mild, having ranged lately from 2° to 11° — :
wind westerly.

Sunday had been spent in the accustomed
exercise of religious duties, and in the evening,
which was undisturbed by ice or wind, the
aurora was powerful enough to shed a soft light
on the pale snow. For the most part it was
generally diffused; but at one time it concen-
trated itself near the north west, from whence
it shot up towards the zenith in beams and pen-
cilled rays, finally settling in an arch from E. N. E.
to S.S.W. Towards llh r.M., and at intervals
during the remainder of the night, the commotion

CHAP. IV.] RESULTS OF COMMOTION. 183

and grinding of the ice around us were painfully
distinct ; and, although the light airs above had
prevailed, yet to our utter amazement, the first
beam of day on the 9th January displayed the
high ridged cliff, which I have before mentioned,
within three miles of the ship. What had become
of the four or five miles of ice which but a few
hours before had intervened between us and the
same land, was beyond our comprehension. All
we knew was that it was there no longer. An
attempt was instantly made to get soundings
through the fire-hole, but this was frustrated from
the under part being entirely blocked up by ice.
However, a lane or rather hole of water
ninety fathoms ahead, answered our purpose,
and the lead struck upon a green slimy rock at
seventy fathoms. Along the surface of this
opening, some light pieces of ice were setting at
the rate of two knots directly south, for the shore,
agreeing in that respect with the known set from
the north, and Fury and Hecla Strait ; this
would satisfactorily account for the line of drift
as well as for the accumulation of ice generally
observed along Southampton Island. Atnoon there
, was still pressure against the north edge of the floe,
which after crumbling up to some height, at last
fell over. Barometer 30. 14. and thermometer 7° — .
The constant motion of the ice had precluded
the possibility of making satisfactory observations

n 4

184 TEMPERATURES. [CHAP.1V.

with the dipping needle, on account of the time
necessary for completing the set. But the same
difficulty did not apply to Fox's instrument, with
which the dip had been observed November 1 6th
1836, in latitude 65° 10' N., and longitude 83° 17'
W. to be 87° 14', and the intensity 5S° 22'. And on
January 6th, off the ridded Cliff, the same instru-
ment gave the dip 87° 3', and intensity 58° 21'.

It may be remembered that I spoke of an ex-
traordinary oozing of water alongside, for which
no satisfactory reason could be assigned. This had
now ceased, but not before the following experi-
ment was tried by Messrs. Stanley and Mould.

The temperature of the air was 9° — , and of
the water in the fire-hole 17° 5 + , while that
from the hole alongside was only 1° 5 + .

A li ounce vial filled with boiled snow water
filtered through lint, weighed, independently of
the vial, at a temperature of 5 1° + . 734. 75 grains.
The same quantity of water from the hole along-
side weighed 799. 25 grains.

The weather now became gloomy and overcast,
with a variable wind, which, after flitting round
the compass, at last remained for a time steady
at S. E. The necessary consequence was, that
we were driven slowly along shore to the west-
ward ; for no long time however, for the fickle
element soon veered again. Our attention was
now chiefly directed to the sick, who though

CHAP. IV.] INVALIDS. 185

comparatively few, yet remained on our hands.
A pure and equable temperature was the thing
most required, and unfortunately most difficult
of attainment. A snow hut, at the requisite
warmth, could not be kept free from vapour, and
our only resource was to screen in a place on the
forecastle under the housing, which with a stove
in it we thought might answer. The project was
accordingly carried into execution, and two of the
greatest invalids slept there on the night of the
10th ; but though the weather was rather mild for
the season, the interior temperature could not be
raised beyond 45°+ : nor could this, which might
perhaps have been sufficient, be maintained, in
consequence of the necessary ingress and egress
of the attendants and visiting officers. Those
who were able to support the cold remained until
the next day \ the weaker patients returned to
their old abode on the lower deck.

Daylight of January 11th shewed us abreast
of the ridged cliff, which the westerly breeze was
driving us past, at a distance of about three or
four miles from it. Beyond was a kind of open
bay, terminated by a rocky bluff headland nearly
ahead, and closing the view. Immediately off
the latter, as well as farther east, there was all
the appearance of a water sky, though it was
hardly possible to imagine that there could be
any thing more than a few holes or lanes so far
from Hudson's Straits.

186 ANXIETY FOR THE FLOE. [CHAP.IV.

Oar experimental hospital having proved a
failure, we now determined to build up a small
cabin on the larboard side of the forecastle with
all the spare plank and spars we could afford;
and though we could not expect the external
air to be excluded as effectually as might be
wished, yet we were not without hopes that,
with the aid of a covering of sails, the place
might be made tolerable. Night came, and in its
train, wind and drift; the land, however, was
just distinguished abeam at 8h p. m., as well as
could be judged not further off than before.
Towards midnight there must have been im-
mense pressure from the northward, as the ship
not only creaked about the afterpart, but heeled
over to starboard ; and this circumstance reviving
tall my anxiety for the stability of the floe on which,
thus close in with the shore, our safety in a great
degree depended, altogether deprived me of sleep.
Morning, however, of January 12th arrived, and
found us still imbedded within three miles of the
beach to the eastward of the Ridge Cliff, with
soundings in seventy-eight fathoms of mud and
sand. We had been set into the outer line of a bay,
with the same headland before us about eight or
ten miles away. Sloping from the Cliff was a
continuous deposition (as it seemed) of coarse
gravel or shingle, through the surface of which
there cropped out at intervals craggy black
rocks. Connected with these, again, were vari-

CHAP. IV.] ADVANTAGES OF SITUATION. 187

ous rocky hills, separated by vallies, and reach-
ing to the headland, the distance being crowned
by mountains less high and more rounded than
those further west.

January 13th. Very little alteration had taken
place in the floe, and our own position remained
unchanged. This for the present was exactly as
we wished, for our onward progress to the east-
ward might have carried us into a less inter-
rupted space, and therefore within the influence
of a stronger tide ; and as the floe in such case
must inevitably have been broken up, we should
have been cast loose too early amidst difficulties
most harassing, if not inextricable. To be thus
quietly arrested, even though not beyond the
next twenty-four hours, was a matter for which
we were sincerely grateful.

A sailor, named Graham Walker, had been
for some time under the care of the medical
gentlemen who, at first, had good grounds for
supposing that little was the matter with him.
However, he was treated as a sick man ; and for
want of exercise, or by some means or other, he
soon contrived to render himself so in earnest.
Unhappily the symptoms shortly after became
scorbutic, and the man being of melancholic tem-
perament, and utterly incapable of being roused
or cheered, grew daily worse. Yet his appetite
continued good until within the last few days, and

188 DEATH OF A SAILOR. [CHAP.IV.

even on these he always ate some nourishing diet.
This day, however, at 9h p. m. he died without
suffering, and indeed so calmly, that those in
attendance were unconscious of the moment of
his departure. Such visitations are always me-
lancholy, and it was. natural that in our case a
more than ordinary impression should be made.
Isolated as we were from our fellow-creatures,
and at the mercy of a power over which we had
no control, who could help feeling that his hour
also might shortly come ? At 10h a. m., on the
14th, the officers and crew of H.M.S. performed
the last mournful duties towards their shipmate.
The body was conveyed on a sledge to the
extremity of the floe, where a grave had been
duo* through the ice ; and the solemn and affect-
ing service for the dead having been read, the
remains were committed to the deep.

In the afternoon I went on shore, though not
without some trouble and scrambling. It was
gratifying to observe that, separated and cur-
tailed of its fair proportions, as our floe had been,
yet many of the original pieces maintained nearly
the same relative positions as when part of the
mass, thus forming an additional barrier between
us and the shore, which I now found was not
more than two miles and a half distant. Along
the beach between the jutting rocks the ice
appeared to have been forced up full twenty

CHAP. IV.] REFLECTIONS. 189

feet ; and, where the resisting barrier was pre-
cipitous, huge masses had been successively
lifted up, pile on pile, until they presented the
appearance of bergs, for which indeed they were
taken. A stranger combination of ruin and con-
fusion with the softness and harmony of the most
beautiful tints, from the faintest emerald to the
deep cerulean blue, it would have been difficult
for the most imaginative mind to conceive.
Then from the sterile summit of the hill to gaze,
far as the eye could stretch, upon a dreary plain
of rocky ice, relieved only by the frost-smoke
issuing here and there from a few holes or lanes
of water, and suddenly to turn to the small dark
speck which denoted the ship, the abode, alas how
frail ! of living men imprisoned amidst this " abo-
mination of desolation." What a multitude of
reflections rushed into the mind! — the might of
nature — the physical feebleness of man — and yet
again the triumph of spirit over matter — man,
trusting in his own unquenchable energy and the
protection of an omnipresent Providence, braving
nature in the very strongholds of her empire,
and if not successful in the encounter, yet
standing up unvanquished and undismayed ! It
was indeed a scene not readily to be forgotten.

The rocks seemed to be a striated granite sin-
gularly placed; some having a parallel inclination
with open spaces between, and others again

190 DESOLATION OF THE LAND. [CHAP.IV.

being placed directly across, or almost at right
angles to each other. The intervals between
the rocks as well as the hills consisted entirely
of what in summer would be a coarse loose
shingle with rounded stones, and with so little
soil, that only in five or six places did I observe
any symptoms of vegetation, if short thin grass
and a few yards of moss even deserve the name.
From the top of the nearest range a small
lake was visible, which discharged itself over
some steep rocks into a narrow bay or harbour,
whose entrance lay between the ship and the
headland. It seemed to be covered with smooth
bay ice, or ice not yet broken up, but it was evi-
dently exposed to the north-east winds. From
the brink of the headland, along the tops and
curvatures of the inland country, was an uninter-
rupted line of utter barrenness and desolation.
Not a bird, not an animal, not a solitary foot-
print, was there to indicate the presence of a
living creature. Not far from the headland was
what looked like a narrow lane of water, while
in the remote distance in the direction of Fox's
channel I fancied there was the loom of land,
which considering how greatly objects are re-
fracted in this climate, was not impossible.

On my return, I learned that at 2h 55™ p. m.
Doctor Donovan and Mr. Mould had seen an
extraordinary meteor in the clear blue sky, at the

CHAP. IV.] CURIOUS METEOR. 1Q1

moment of detection bearing north at an altitude
of about 23 degrees ; it was then in rapid mo-
tion, and having ascended to 25 degrees or
thereabouts, it declined, its course being some-
thing of a paraboloid. It was, as seen, of about
the size of a man's hand, and its colour was that
of a pale emerald. When it separated, which
it did at its lowest altitude, it dispersed into
three parts, each of the same pale tinge, and
vanished from the sight. Having myself been
travelling south at the time, I was unfortunate
enough not to see it. In the morning however,
at a quarter before ten o'clock, while standing
on a hummock about seventeen feet high, and
looking to the east, I had observed the upper
limb of the sun, as it filled a triangular cleft on
the ridge of the headland, of the most brilliant
emerald colour, a phenomenon which I had
not witnessed before in these regions. In about
five minutes afterwards the sun rose clear and
bright, over the summit of the same hill, and
the whole sky was free from clouds and appa-
rently from vapour ; though, as I previously
remarked, I saw from the shore a lane of water
near the Point.

January 18th. — During the few last days
nothing occurred to vary our position. Several
shooting parties had been on shore, and Lieu-
tenant Stanley accompanied by Mr. Saunders,

19- LAND EXCURSIONS [CHAP.IV.

went to survey the harbour already mentioned,
which was subsequently named after him. It
proved to be too much exposed to the north to
afford the smallest shelter with a wind from that
quarter ; it was narrow also, and in the summer
months would rarely be accessible on account of
the ice, which, judging from last year, it may be
presumed is usually set against it. Mr. Gore
had been eight miles in the interior, and on his
way passed a lake two miles long ; the shortness
of the day would not permit him to extend his
excursion as he had felt inclined to do, if for no
other purpose than to reach the highest hill,
which, as usual to the inexperienced, the next
always promised to be.

Mr. Fisher also, after being baffled in one
attempt, contrived on the second occasion
to reach the headland, thence called Cape
Fisher, and after traversing several steep hills
and crossing a frozen mountain stream, whose
mouth was two hundred paces across, he came
to a spot, whence the coast was descried in the
form of a bay trending S. E. by S., while in
the extreme distance the same officer, with the
aid of a telescope, saw what he considered to
be two islands stretching far out from the most
southern point. The interval between, as well
indeed as the whole space from the headland,
presented the novel appearance of a smooth

CHAP. IV.] TRACKS OF ANIMALS. 193

dark and unbroken sheet of bay ice. From the
Cape towards Frozen Strait, forming a wide se-
micircle as seen from the ship, was a continuous
line of dense vapour, which clearly indicated
open water, though the white gleam of ice might
be easily distinguished beyond it ; so that the
crushing and crumbling which had progressively
destroyed, separated, and almost pulverized
so many miles of floe ice around us, and which
providentially had ceased when within little more
than a hundred paces from the ship, must have
been mainly caused by the undulating motion
proceeding from this open water, acted upon of
course by wind and tide ; for it may be re-
membered that the extraordinary grinding com-
plained of, when the vessel lay to the westward,
near Smyth's Harbour, took place only at such
times and under such circumstances, as would
point to a combination of the above-mentioned
causes.

Our gentlemen had seen but two tracks of
deer, with others of wolves, hares, and foxes ;
but what interested us most was the footstep of
an Esquimaux which Mr. Fisher had endeavoured
ineffectually to trace. If it were one (and it
gave rise to as many conjectures as the memo-
rable foot-print in Robinson Crusoe), it must
have been that of some one who had wandered
far out of his way in the eagerness of the chase j

o

194 INCREASE OF SICK. [cHAP.IV.

since, as far as our knowledge went, the line of
coast would scarcely afford sustenance to the
most active and skilful hunter.

Our new hospital, or sick bay on the larboard
side of the forecastle, had been completed three
days, and with a boat stove kept always lighted in
it, the temperature could be forced up to 70° +,
which was quite as high as the medical gentlemen
required. The two most debilitated invalids,
Mr. Donaldson, and Alexander Anderson, had
been immediately conveyed there ; and though
they had not yet derived the benefit that was
anticipated, they felt more comfortable and
were in better spirits. I was sorry, however, to
see that the former was dangerously weak and
evinced a disposition to incoherency, from which
the worst might be feared. Neither did any of
the others who had been attacked entirely re-
cover j for although their general health was
sometimes better, yet their legs continued dis-
coloured, hard, and bent ; the number of the sick
moreover, was continually swelled by new acces-
sions, and at last amounted to one sixth of the crew.
Five or six of the officers also became slightly
affected, thus establishing incontrovertibly that the
evil, from whatever cause it originated, was at all
events not attributable to any difference in food.
However, to put an end to ail fancies on this score,
and to prevent the possibility of cavil, I gave

2

CHAP. IV.] PRECAUTIONS. 195

orders for the issue of an extra allowance of
preserved meat to all hands, together with cran-
berries, pickles, mustard, vinegar, spruce-beer,
and lime juice, so arranged that some anti-
scorbutics might be taken every day. The crew
moreover were kept constantly engaged either in
work or amusement. The lower deck, which,
though not exempt from vapour, was yet as dry
as could be reasonably expected, was kept clear
almost the whole day, except at meal times,
and the hammocks were hung up at 9h p* m., and
taken down at 6h a. m. Excursions were made
to the shore under the direction of proper
persons, and on the return of the parties, officers
were appointed to see that every man entirely
removed the snow from his clothes, and then
put on dry ones on going below. I am parti-
cular in detailing these precautions, in order to
show that this unexpected visitation was prin-
cipally to be ascribed to the failure of our
unfortunate warming apparatus, which though
perhaps suitable enough for a temperate climate,
and places where in the event of an accident
the means of reparation are at hand, was certainly
not adapted for a service such as ours. Our
stoves were placed amidship, and near the
intense heat thrown out by them the deck and
beams were dry ; but not so at the sides, where
the tubes diffusing general heat should have

o 2

196 PHENOMENA. [CHAP.IV*

been ; and the consequence was, that it was no
uncommon occurrence to hear one speak of
having rilled a bucket with the water which
streamed down the sides and ceiling of his little
cabin. As a last effort to get rid of the fetid
and impure atmosphere that lurked in the lower
parts of the deck, I ordered a bell-shaped
canvass funnel to be made, having the mouth
or wide opening within a foot and a half of the
deck, and leading through an aperture in the
forehatch, from which it was carried through
the housing in such a manner as to convey
whatever it might be charged with, quite clear
of the ship.

January 19th. For the first time since the
new moon, the ice was heard to make a noise
to the north-east. The weather however still
continued fine, and nearly all hands went on
shore for a run. At 2h 4m p. m. we had a par-
helion, whose semi-diameter as taken from the
sun's centre was 22°, the prevailing colours being
orange graduating into red : and at 10h 45m p.m.
Mr. Stanley observed a prismatic lunar halo,
the outer diameter of which was 9° and the
inner 5°.

January 20th. A few of the gentlemen went
on shore with their guns, but met with nothing
to reward them for their trouble beyond the be-
nefit of the exercise. They reported that the ice

CHAP. IV.] INVALIDS. 197

near the shore had opened out a little, and that some
holes of water, besides one extensive lane, were
clearly visible from the hills, for which informa-
tion I was quite prepared, not only by the hint
of grinding ice to seaward, but also by the near
approach of the full moon. It would have been
satisfactory to ascertain the true rise and fall of
the tide at the full and change respectively, but
this the under layers of ice effectually prevented,
though by a rough estimate of the depression of
the ice on the sides of the rocks, without, how-
ever, knowing the thickness of that ice, or
whether it touched the bottom, a difference of
between seven and ten feet was repeatedly re-
marked. In one instance, indeed, Mr. Fisher's
party were obliged to return by a different route
from that taken in the morning, in consequence
of the ice adjoining the land having sunk to
a level too deep for a jump.

Our new funnel was put up and the deck
somewhat improved, but still close. The tem-
perature was 73° + , the dew point 65°, and the
degree of saturation, as shown by the hygro-
meter, 7§6.

The invalids did not recover as I could have
wished, nor did the two worst evince any decided
or even encouraging change for the better. One
man, who had been afflicted for upwards of a
month with the prevalent complaint of a dis-

o 3

198 SPIRITS OF CREW IMPROVE. [CHAP.IV.

coloured and rigid leg, but whose health in other
respects had been good, was suddenly seized
with syncope as he was walking ; and though he
recovered in the course of a few minutes, yet in
his case, as in that of the other patients who
were similarly affected, it seemed to aggravate
the disease, or rather to reduce the powrer of
struggling against it. That the rest of the crew,
and the few who were affected but slightly, had
rather gained than lost on the score of cheerful-
ness and good spirits, I was to-day agreeably con-
vinced ; for, while taking my accustomed evening
exercise within the snow-wall inclosure, I was sur-
prised at hearing the sound of music somewhere
on the floe, and before I could get outside the
gallery, the whole crew, headed by the armourer,
playing the fife, and under the orders of Mr.
Vaughan, the boatswain, marched up in file, sing-
ing the song of the " Southern Breezes." They
halted with a hearty laugh at the word of com-
mand, as given out by some one in military
fashion, Halt, front! and gave three hearty cheers ;
then placing the fifer on a hummock, they
finished with a country dance, in which the
slipping, sliding, and falling of the performers
gave occasion to much mirth. It may be ima-
gined that this was to me a most agreeable
sight, and that I did not fail to pronounce my
commendations, and to encourage a repetition.

CHAP. IV.] WEATHER. 199

During the night the breeze occasionally fresh-
ened, and the sky was more or less overcast.
The CZ 1st brought the spring-tide, but up to
noon there was no difference in the ice per-
ceptible from the ship, though one of the people
had seen, while walking, a narrow lane caused
by the separation of the ice, near the shore.
Wind W.N.W., squally ; thermometer 21°, and
cold ; barometer 29. 72. The night was some-
what variable, the wind occasionally freshening,
and then decreasing again, but towards the morn-
ing of January 22d the weather became clear
and almost calm, and we were left, much to our
satisfaction, in the same situation as before. We
had reason, indeed, to apprehend that the wind
which generally accompanies the spring-tide
might be boisterous enough to blow the ship
round the Cape ; for the light and moderate
airs which had prevailed throughout the last
neaps, could not be expected to continue through
the springs, our experience hitherto coinciding
with the following remark of Ellis, (who, in
1746, wintered in Hudson's Bay,) as reported in
Barrow's Chronological History of Northern
Voyages : " It seems, however, that the severity
" of cold is seldom felt above four or five days
" in a month, and generally about the full and
" change of the moon, at which times the

o 4

200 GRINDING OF ICE. [CHAP.IV.

" wind is usually from the north-west and
" very tempestuous." At noon a faint grind-
ing of the ice was heard to the north. Tem-
perature 24°— ; wind W.N.W*, light. Within
the last week three common flies had in-
troduced themselves into the midshipmen's
berth.

January 25th. There is something to me
inexplicable in the eccentric action of the tides
on the north side of Southampton Island. For
three days after the full moon the utmost dis-
turbance which reached us amounted to a dull
and distant grinding, easily accounted for by
the prevalent westerly winds. But the last
forty-eight hours had been nearly calm, though
intensely cold, the thermometer having indi-
cated 43°—, and the mercury having frozen
in an artificial horizon. Yet now a loud rushing
noise was heard beneath the ice three or four
times a-day, agreeing, as it seemed, with the ebb
and flow of a regular tide. The lane off Cape
Fisher, which had been closed, was re-opened,
and the ice outside our floe was lifted up with a
singing or rather squeaking sound. This, again,
at a later hour was followed by a distinct crack-
ing, and then a hollow grinding : still we re-
mained almost if not entirely stationary. Our
number of sick did not materially increase, and

CHAP. IV.] HEALTH. 201

even of these the general health of several might
be called positively good. They were almost free
from pain, but could not get rid of the callousness
of the part affected, which continued, in spite of
every effort, as hard as if it had been thoroughly
frozen. One man only (and his was more a
rheumatic than a scorbutic case) had returned
to his duty ; on the other hand, the gunner,
Mr. Donaldson, was in a declining and dangerous
state, notwithstanding the unremitting attention
of Dr. Donovan and Mr. Mould, who were
themselves affected with the prevailing complaint,
and even walked about with difficulty.

January 26th. There had been no wind of
any consequence throughout the night, some
part of which had actually been calm ; and yet in
the morning the ice, and consequently the ship,
had been set to the eastward from a quarter to
half a mile. Several lanes of water too were
formed between us and the land, while a dark
grey frost smoke extended some distance from
the Cape to seaward. The weather was still
fine, though cold, the thermometer being 44'° — ,
and a mist or haze hung round the horizon. In
the evening the wind blew from the westward,
and afterwards veering to the south, got more
squally, coming occasionally in smart gusts di-
rectly off* the land, which, when distinctly seen
at 4h p. m., bore from S.E. to N. W. by N. The

202 UNDER-CURRENTS. [CHAP.IV.

barometer had for two days indicated symp-
toms of some change, for the mercury fell slowly,
and on January 27th, at 10h a.m. was 29. 22.
while the temperature varied in the night up to
the same hour, from 47°— to 34°—. It was
then too misty with snow drift to make out the
land clearly, though we could do so sufficiently
to ascertain that we had been driven something
farther from it than before, and more to the east-
ward. From this gradual falling of the mercury of
the barometer over a period of nearly three days,
and the fluctuations in the ice at a time of moon
when the contrary was to be expected, I should
conjecture that there had been boisterous weather
in some other quarter, probably not very remote,
and yetfar enough for the intervening ice to qualify
and counteract its further progress — an effect
familiar to those who have been driven from a
heavy gale into a pack for protection. The
transition in such cases is often as sudden as it is
agreeable ; but the under motion of the sea
continues for a considerable extent, though of
course gradually diminishing in intensity. It
was probably something of this kind which oc-
casioned the singular movements above described.
For an undulation beneath the surface of ice, aid-
ing or opposing the current, especially about the
hours when it was influenced by the tides, would
be likely to produce such effects. I give this,

CHAP. IV.] FLOE DIMINISHES. 203

of course, as a mere conjecture, which however
I thought it better to note down when the
phenomena were before my eyes, than to trust
to any after judgment, when the facts may present
themselves less vividly to the mind, or be dis-
torted to suit some theory.

At noon the Cape was dimly seen before the
beam, and soundings were obtained in one hun-
dred and fifty-six fathoms on a bottom of green
mud. On the 28th lanes of water were seen in
various directions, and we were sorry to observe
that we had lost about sixty paces of the floe, to
say nothing of the unwelcome appearance of a
small opening of water at the edge of it astern.
An officer had been round the floe and reported
the inshore ice to be setting fast to the eastward,
which led to an unfounded notion that we had
rounded the Cape ; the detection, for the first
time, of an under-current, while sounding, having
strengthened the conjecture. The set of this
current could not be determined, in consequence
of the many under layers of ice which caught and
entangled the line. It is probably by an ac-
cumulation of such layers, cemented together in
bights or bays, sheltered by projecting capes or
headlands, and less liable to disturbance from
currents and tides, that the very thick ice found
in many parts of floes is formed ; for we had
ocular demonstration, that with a very low tempe-

204 PHENOMENA OF ICE. [CHAP.IV.

rature and calm weather, in the severest portion
of the winter, no addition of bulk takes place
from the surface downwards when protected as our
floe was by a hard coating of snow and drift. The
doubling and packing of ice during gales of wind,
and when exposed to severe pressure, as well as
the growth of bergs and extensive fields, are
phenomena which the attentive observations of
modern voyagers have rendered familiar ; and, by
an extension of the above remark, another ex-
planation besides the action of the waves (for the
mere heat of the sun has little influence) is
afforded, how it is that the destruction of the
immense fields of ice is effected, not indeed by
pointing out the agents of the destruction, but
by showing how little may, in many instances,
be added in successive winters to the bulk to be
destroyed. The fact that no new deposition
takes place underneath seems also at once to
account for the decayed and wasting appearance,
which every one accustomed to Polar navigation
must have noticed in what is called the old ice,
of which sailors will sometimes say — " Aye, sir,
that piece is older than I am, but it cannot last
above another summer."

January 29th. The weather, though fine over-
head was thick about the southern boundary of
our view, but from the aspect of a point of
Ridge Cliff, which bore S. 82° 30' W., it was

CHAP. IV.] CALLOSITY OF LIMBS. 205

evident we had gone still more off shore. After
divisions I inspected the decks as usual, and
was happy to find the lower one comfortably
dry, a result mainly to be attributed to the
last bell-mouthed funnel, which carried off an
amazing deal of vapour and impure air; indeed,
with eight funnels, either for the stoves or vapour,
constantly going, it would have been strange if
some good effect had not been produced. Had
it not been for the masts and rigging, any one a
few hundred yards off might have taken the
ship for a manufactory, for the vapour steamed
forth in as great a volume, and nearly as dense
as the smoke. The only drawback to the gene-
ral comfort now was the unfortunate lameness
that characterized the scorbutic symptoms. In
this respect our list increased, though none,
thank God, were worse •, and the poor gunner,
who lay still dangerously ill, with scarcely
strength enough to change his position, seemed
to be in better spirits. One third of the com-
plement, including officers, were now affected
with this extraordinary callosity of limbs.

At noon the barometer was 29. 37 \ thermo-
meter 39°-. The night was particularly clear,
and the stars were observed by Lieutenant
Stanley to be freer from nebulae and that danc-
ing motion which he had always complained of

206 INTENSELY COLD. [CHAP.IV.

while making observations. Faint auroras, occa-
sionally brightening up a little, were seen fre-
quently, but without any of the interesting
phenomena which I had been accustomed to
observe in the inland regions of this latitude.
The ice continued to move, more or less, at a
little distance from the floe, while a zigzag crack
had commenced at one part on the starboard
quarter ; and, after an eccentric course through
some of the thickest and largest hummocks, not
unlike the wild track of lightning, had turned
round and ended as it had begun among the looser

particles.

On the 31st January, we had been set far
enough off shore to distinguish a distant point
beyond Cape Fisher, the bearing of which at
noon was S. E. (true) while the other extreme
was west ; the observed latitude being 64° 46' N.
and longitude 82° 19'W. Happily for us, the
weather continued beautifully fine, though in-
tensely cold, the thermometer during several days
having never been higher than 38° minus, and
generally below 44°. This night, the register at
midnight was 54° minus ; but though thus coldly
welcomed, the month of February was hailed by
us with heartfelt gladness, as bringing us nearer
to the day of liberation. The mercury froze in
the artificial horizon ; and such as were interested

CHAP. IV.] INFLUENCE OF SUN. 207

in the experiment fired a pistol ball of that metal
into a piece of wood which had been long ex-
posed to the cold.

Now, as before, we found there was more grind-
ing during the prevalence of calms, or light airs,
than in a breeze ; for, the greater part of the even-
ing and night of the 1st February, there was a fear-
ful noise outside and even at the edge of the floe,
and on examination the next day I ascertained
that a further encroachment had been made ;
and, from the uplifted waves of ice, and the con-
fused and massive heaps thrown up or partly
crushed, it was evident the force must have been
irresistible. Many lanes of water were visible on
the morning of February 2nd ; and though the ther-
mometer was still low, the sun whose altitude was
8° 39' 45/7 at noon, began to produce some effect
on the southern thermometer exposed on board
though surrounded with snow, the difference be-
tween this and the northern one amounting to
15°. If any thing, the ship had gone a little
nearer the shore. The variation was 60° 45'
west. On walking round the floe, I observed
that some one had cut the figure of a cross on
the overhanging and inner face of a huge wave
of ice, left by a former pressure in that menacing
attitude.

The wind having got round from N. E. to

208 MORE LIMPERS. [CHAP.IV.

S. E., and varying between that and S. S. W.,
brought with it an overcast sky and fresh breezes,
approaching often to a smart gale, which soon
caused a separation between the sea and land ice,
and drove us slowly off shore. On the 4th the
distance had increased to ten miles ; and, from a
partial glimpse of the land, it was conjectured we
had also moved seven miles to the east, a result
exactly similar to what had been before expe-
rienced from an off-shore wind, and the reasons
for which have already been assigned. Although
the barometer had predicted with such accuracy
the heavy gale which had driven us from the west-
ward of Cape Comfort to Ridge Cliff, on this
occasion it had not yet indicated the breezes
experienced since the 2nd instant ; but what was
remarkable enough, and forced itself unwillingly
on our notice, was the general effect on the
sick, who all complained of being worse. The
temperature, it should be observed, had risen to
zero on board, and 2°— on the ice ; at the same
time there was a wide lane of water between
the ship and the land. On inspecting the crew
at divisions this morning, I was sorry to observe
more people limping, while not one could be got
out of the list. It was beyond our comprehen-
sion or control. They had abundance of pro-
visions, the allowance having been again recently

CHAP. IV.] DEATH OF MR. DONALDSON. 209

increased, with antiscorbutics of various kinds ;
their bedding was shaken and purified ; they
were never suffered to remain below in damp
clothes ; the deck was free from anything like
a close atmosphere ; persons were appointed to
see them take sufficient exercise for health three
times a day ; and the men themselves were as
cheerful as the temperament of each permitted.
As a still further precaution, chloride of lime
was put into the pump-well, which had never
more than six, and generally less than three
inches in it. We may be said, indeed, to have
brought the disheartening malady with us in the
person of one of the marines, who must have
been strongly predisposed to the complaint, as
he showed symptoms of it so early as a fortnight
or three weeks after the expenditure of our live
stock. Anderson, though improved in health,
Was unable to quit his bed, and poor Mr. Donald-
son lay in a state of drowsy torpor, from which
the medical officers had great difficulty to rouse
him. He scarcely took any sustenance ; and
we could not contemplate the slow but marked
change which was going on without gloomy
apprehensions. These fears were but too soon
verified ; for after another day of lethargy, and
beckoning away with his hand any attempt to
give him nourishment, he may be said to have
slumbered to death at the hour of six o'clock on

210 FINE WEATHER, [CHAP.IV.

Sunday morning, and was the next day com-
mitted to the deep with the usual ceremony.
His case was very different from those who were
still suffering from indisposition, and who, with
sound constitutions, were attacked with a local,
and, as we hoped, a temporary complaint,
brought on we knew not how ; whereas Donald-
son had worn out a frame originally strong and
vigorous, in a succession of long and arduous,
services in the whale fishery, in the different
voyages of discovery under Sir E. Parry, on
board ships of war, and now finally in the Terror.
Though leading what is generally styled a hard
life, he had seldom if ever been ill ; but when
his constitution once began to break up, the
symptoms of decline were the more marked and
rapid, and he died at the early age of forty-three.
Though the event had been long anticipated,
it did not fail to cast a gloom over the spirits,
which however yielded in some measure before
the holy duties of the day, and the reflections
naturally arising from them.

The wind had abated but once, when for a
brief interval it fell calm, and the thermometer
rose to 4° — j but in a few hours afterwards, viz.
at 8h a. m. on February 6th, the cold had in-
creased to 29° — , with a fresh breeze from north-
west and a clear sky overhead, though misty
and indistinct with snow drift along the horizon.

CHAP. IV.] THE COAST. 211

We were at least five miles from the nearest land,
and had been set and blown with the entire body
of the ice so far to the eastward, as to have the
Ridge Cliff for the most westerly bearing astern.
At noon the observed latitude was 64° 38' 30" N.,
longitude 82° 01' W., and soundings were ob-
tained in one hundred and fifty fathoms, with a
bottom of green mud. In the course of twenty-
four hours we had altered our position eleven
miles in latitude, and nearly twenty of longitude.
The ice appeared to be drawing to the land,
though no open water was seen near it, and the
wind still continued on the quarter. The out-
line of the coast was more regular and sloping
at the point, which, with an elevated and ob-
tusely peaked hill, formed what seemed like
islands, and were probably taken for such on a
former occasion. Abreast of us were two bays.
The wind having fallen considerably, the ship
and ice continued to draw nearer to the land,
but towards night the breeze freshened from
N. W. by N., and we began again to drift to the
eastward. The coruscations of the aurora were
visible at intervals to the south-east. At clear
daylight, it was perceived that we had been
set round the comparatively low point described
as forming yesterday the eastern boundary of
view, and now saw at the extreme limit of vision
ahead, a high bluff, disconnected from the

p %

212 SOUNDINGS AS BEFORE. [CHAP. IV.

low land farther south. From the mast-head,
with a glass, about two points of the compass
presented a clear horizon, and then began the
low land, which after making a long curve
approached the ship to within four or five miles.
This part not having been surveyed, many
conjectures were made as to the probability of
a passage to the south of the bluff land ahead,
which it was further supposed might be found
to lead into Evan's Inlet of Lyon. It was how-
ever impossible at our remote situation to form
any conclusion, because, notwithstanding appear-
ances, the clear space might be nothing more than
the circular trending of the coastline, terminating
somewhere about Seahorse Point. The change
in the rounded and shelving outline of the hills
was too remarkable to escape the notice of the
most careless observer, though this did not seem
to affect the soundings, which at noon were in
one hundred and fifty fathoms, with the same
description of mud as before. The extremes of
land at the above hour were from E. 65° S., to
W. 55° N., and the latitude was 64° 32' N.

The whole of the 8th was foggy •, nor did the
weather clear until near midnight, when the
aurora shooting up to the zenith threw a faint
light around, and enabled the officer of the watch
to catch a glimpse of the land, which he fancied
to be nearer. At broken intervals there was a

CHAP. IV.] SET OF CURRENT. 213

rumbling and crashing noise as of splintered ice
towards the southwest, which continued more or
less until day-break of February 9th. The weather
was still calm, and yet, when the sun rose, it
was evident the ship and ice had been drifted to
the eastward, at a distance of five miles from the
land, which became lower, more sloping, and
more free from bays. The soundings atlh p.m.
were found in one hundred and fifty-two fathoms,
and with a bottom of darker mud than before.
The latitude observed was 64<° 29' N., and longi-
tude 81° 46' W., thus establishing the set of the
current along the coast. In two instances we
had been checked in our progress, and forced
diagonally about S.W. by W. towards the land;
and the coincidence of times at which this oc-
curred pointed to the action of two forces, that
is to say, the tide from the eastward in com-
bination with the prevailing current from the
north-west.

All our boats which, except the barge, had been
necessarily kept hung at the davits, with a few in-
dispensable stores in them, to be prepared for any
sudden emergency, were now thoroughly cleansed
from ice and snow, and after a minute and atten-
tive examination by Mr. Smith, the carpenter, I
had the satisfaction of learning that they were
uninjured, and perfectly ready for service. They

p 3

214< HEAVY GALE. [CHAP.IV.

were, therefore, restored to their places, and the
upper parts covered with their sails as before.
The northerly wind continued to blow fresh
during the night, and in the morning of the
10th a lane of water was discovered at the edge
of the floe astern, extending from thence to due
south near the shore. In this opening a few
seals were seen. In the forenoon two ravens
were observed flying northward. At noon it
blew a fresh gale, and the streams of snow-drift
effectually shut out the land. As the gale
increased during the day, it was conjectured
we were setting to the southward, and through-
out the night, and up to noon of February 11th,
it blew hard. The barometer in the meantime
had risen in the last twenty-four hours, from
29. 59 to 29. 70, while the thermometer on the
ice had fallen from 18°— to 37° — ; and, such was
the keenness of the cold occasioned by the wind
and drift, that it was at some hazard the officer
of the watch could venture even to the regis-
tering station, though less than a hundred yards
from the ship. Eddies and clouds of drift
whirled incessantly round us, and caused the
wood and spars to crack and split, so that on
one occasion I thought we had got into shoal
water, and the ship was touching. Neither
could the people take their accustomed exercise

CHAP. IV.] GALE ABATES. 215

on the ice ; and though sometimes a glimpse
was caught of the land, all that could be ascer-
tained was, that it was low, and seemed very
much like an island. The latitude gave 64° 21' N.,
from which, and the fact of the gale being north,
there was every reason to believe we were drift*
ing into the bay. Soundings gave one hundred
and three fathoms, and the lead had struck on
green mud.

This uncomfortable weather continued through-
out the greater part of Sunday the 12th ; but in
the afternoon some of the people were able to
walk round the floe, and in so doing discovered
that a piece of ice one hundred and twenty
yards broad and two hundred yards long had
been separated from the western angle, and that
there were several cracks striking in a direction
towards the centre of it. Towards night the
wind got round to the westward, and soon after-
wards a loud grinding noise was distinctly heard
in that quarter; and, in the early part of the 13th
a wall of bay and other ice was seen at the
western edge of the floe, which had been forced
up perpendicularly to the height of eighteen
feet, without, however, doing much damage.
The mercury in the barometer continued to fall,
and, as the breeze abated, some light snow suc-
ceeded and kept falling for several hours. Land

p 4

210 HOLES OF WATER. [CHAP.IV.

was discerned from S. S. W. to N. N. W., but
too indistinctly for any satisfactory observation.
Four or five holes of water however broke suxU
denly upon the sight, the largest to seaward, or
in the direction of Fox's Channel, and the
others between the ship and the shore to the
westward.

217

CHAPTER V.

Valentines Day. — Floe damaged. — Outline of Coast*-**
Alarming Symptoms. — Chaotic Commotion. — Tumult
ceases. — Clearing Deck. — Dovekie shot. — Awful Peril.

— Grandeur of Scene. — Expectation of Crisis. — Havoc
spreads. — Desolation. — Ship remains nipped. — Turmoil.

— Set of Ice. — Ship rights. — Ice Hills. — Dolts, fyc.
loosened by Pressure of Ice. — Flight of Birds. — Nautical
Artists. — Divine Service. — Blows a Gale. — Imminent
Peril. — St. Patrick's Day. — Ice fluctuates — Sir J. Gor-
dons Bay. — Peril of Two Sailors. — Flock of Ducks,
and White Bear. — Death of a Sailor. — Baffin's Obser-
vations. — Flocks of Loons. — Improvement in Crew's

* Health. — Diminution of Snow. — Mr. Gore Snow-blind.

The 14th February, Valentine's day ! By uni-
versal consent in the temperate regions of
Europe, the harbinger of spring, the day when
hope revives and the future begins to triumph
over the past ! Even with us, fast locked in the
dreary wilderness of ice, amidst driving sleet and
fog, the time was not without its influence, and
I mark this day as the boundary from which we
began to look forward to our final release. " How
short the past, how long the future appears," is
the trite and universal reflection ; yet in my case
the reality was exactly the reverse. When I
looked back upon the past, (and it was the first
time that I remember to have experienced such

218 valentine's day. [chap. v.

a feeling), the time since we left England, though
but eight months, seemed longer than any three
years of my former not unadventurous life. Days
were weeks, wTeeks months, months almost years.
As objects seen through a haze appear more
distant, so to me the past had a dim and shadowy
indistinctness which magnified its proportions.
There were no marks to separate one day from
another, no rule whereby to measure time ; all
was one dull and cheerless uniformity of dark
and cold. But from this date, on the contrary,
the successive days being occupied in active and
exciting employment, with continual novelties of
situation, and expectation of something to come,
seemed to fly with accelerated speed as each
brought us nearer to the termination of our im-
prisonment. But I return to my narrative.

Our day of promise set in, it must be confessed,
unpromisingly enough ; for through the night a
breeze blew from the N. E., directly on the land,
and the mist and snow drift continued so thick,
that there was no possibility of seeing at what
part of the coast we were. The barometer too
kept falling, and the wind increasing. At noon,
soundings were obtained in one hundred and
thirty fathoms, but the sun was too obscure to
get an observation. About 2h p. m. it being rather
squally, a lane of water was formed along the
edge of the floe one half round it, and the ice

CHAP. V.] FLOE DAMAGED. 219

seemed to be fast drifting to the south. During
the early part of the night a lunar halo, slightly
prismatic, and of 48° diameter was observed.
Shortly after the wind veered more to the north,
and with a rising barometer blew a strong gale,
which remained unabated till morning of the 15th.
From a severe shock, that was felt on board
sometime in the middle watch, as well as various
dull crackings about the stern frame and counter,
I inferred that some commotion had been in ope-
ration among the ice. I was not, however, pre-
pared to hear that an opening, commencing
within a short distance of the larboard bow, had
made its way to within forty paces of the
ship, and then running diagonally across had
absolutely bisected the floe -y nor, on further
examination, was this all, since, at the southern
extreme, we had lost another large portion,
broken off in a parallel line, while to the
north innumerable cracks appeared in every
direction. This was the most unpromising sight
experienced from the time of our being frozen in,
for there could be no doubt that the bulwark
of our security had been shattered ; and, as no
instance had been known of a reunion of parts
once separated from the mass, we could not but
feel, though with an humble reliance on the
mercy of that Providence which had hitherto
sustained us, how precarious was henceforth our

220 SURVEY OF FLOE. [CHAP.V.

condition. At noon, soundings were found in
ninety-five fathoms, but no land was visible. The
latitude, however, by a hazy sun, was 64° 21' N.
This day was remarkable as that on which our
oldest invalid was rescued from the sick list,
but though well in general health his leg con-
tinued crooked. A parhelion was seen, whose
semidiameter was 23° : the barometer was slowly
rising, and at length the sky began to clear, so
that about 4h p. m. land was made out to the
south east, and also astern.

About night fall a lane of water appeared on
the western extremity of the floe, extending
round the northern part of it to south east.
The night itself was beautifully clear, and soon
after midnight quite calm. The barometer again
fell, and at 6h a m. a light air came from the
south west. We had been of late so enveloped
in mist and snow drift, that a fine day was quite
a treat ; and after divisions and the usual inspec-
tion of the decks, all hands rambled about the
floe, which now formed the limit of our excursions.
I, also, as undisputed sovereign of the floe, (and
never certainly was monarch more anxious to
preserve the integrity of his territory, or more
jealous of the smallest encroachment on his
border,) went forth to make a survey of my
icy domain. After tracing the various cracks
from one extreme to the other, I was sorry

CHAP. V.] ENORMOUS PRESSURE. 221

to find not only a complete verification of the
former report, but additional fractures also, of a
very threatening aspect. The pressure had been
enormous, having thrown up terrific piles of
broken, and in many instances ponderous, slabs
of ice. Sad inroads had been made upon the
floe which, however, much as it was reduced,
was yet infinitely the largest compact body within
the circle of the horizon. In many parts, where
a temporary rent and separation had given free-
dom to masses confined underneath, huge calves,
yellow and brown with age, darted up to the
surface, looking like unsightly blotches on the
pale features of the general scene. One small
crack even trespassed on the ship : but what
most astonished me was the state of the ice com-
posing the entire body to the verge of the
horizon. Formerly it had been remarked to con-
sist of innumerable floes of different sizes, all
more or less irregular, but chiefly crowned by
peaked and massy hummocks, which, without
any straining of the imagination, might, in some
atmospheres, have been mistaken for islands. Of
these, not one now remained. The whole had
been crushed, ground, and powdered into an
appearance, which I can liken only to the
spiculated and splintery surface of broken
granite, as seen through a powerful magnifier.
How it was that this effect had been produced,

OUTLINE OF COAST. [cHAP.V.

whether there had been no resistance, or that the
particles had intermixed and consolidated, we
could not determine ; but the fact was indis-
putable, that none of the hideous ruins piled up
on both extremities of our floe were distinguish-
able elsewhere. It is worthy of remark, as illus-
trating the fracture of chrystals, that the cracks
in general pursued their course through every
impediment of ice, large or small, in a track not
unlike that sometimes marked by lightning on
other substances. How far these continued, we
had no means of ascertaining.

The clearness of the day enabled us to define
the outline of the coast very satisfactorily. We
had evidently been set a little into a bay, though
the nearest land which seemed rather low and
shelving, was at least twelve or fifteen miles away.
From the deck, it seemed to trend southerly, until
quite lost in the horizon ; but with the assistance
of a glass, as viewed from the crowVnest, it
formed a very deep bay, and again vanished
behind a line of high blue land, clearly visible
two points on the starboard bow. Beyond the
latter, and stretching something more to the
east, was the last point in sight, and which it was
considered must be the western side of Seahorse
Point, or at least very close to it. The ship's
head (which it will be remembered was turned
round by a commotion of the ice when not far

14

CHAP. V.J ALARMING SYMPTOMS. 223

from Cape By lot) was in an excellent direction,
and allowing that the floe held together, and the
wind continued from the westward, it was not
unreasonable to suppose we should eventually be
taken somewhere among the cluster of islands at
the western extremity of Hudson's Straits.

At noon, soundings on a green muddy bottom
were struck in eighty-six fathoms, and at the same
time the extremes of land extended from
N. W. \ N. to S. E. \ S. The latitude observed
was 64° 19' 30" N. and the longitude 81° 40' W.

February 17th, for some part of the day, might
be said tobe calm ; and, as usual, the ice under what
might have been thought favourable circum-
stances, began to work with a noise by no
means welcome to our ears. The weather
was beautifully fine, and the wind quite light,
rather off the land ; but though there wras nothing
in this respect which betokened a change, the
barometer was slowly falling, and it was remarked
that the grinding noise around the floe increased
more than usual. From lh to 3h a. m. of the
following day (February 18th) the crashing of the
ice at the eastern edge of the floe was alarmingly
loud, and a few minutes afterwards I was awakened
by a hoarse rushing sound, quickly followed
by several severe shocks against the ship. The
officer of the watch hurrying down, reported that
the floe was certainly breaking up alongside, and
I hastened on deck, where the first Lieutenant

224 CHAOTIC COMMOTION. [CHAP.V.

had arrived before me. Here we saw a rent in
the ice, extending from the stern of the ship to
the edge of the floe, and another stretching from
the bow directly ahead to the eastern brink ;
thus, in fact, forming a continuous line of
separation directly through the centre. The
hands were immediately turned up and set to
work in bringing on board the armourer's forge
from a shed alongside, and hoisting up the
dingy,* which, for convenience and preservation
had been stowed on the floe within our wall.
The ship now began to complain, and strained
considerably under the counter. She then heeled
over to port, and relieved herself about six inches
from the starboard embankment against the side,
making by the effort gaping rents through the
snow walls. At this time, the crashing, grind-
ing:, and rushing noise beneath, as well as at the
borders of the floe, the rents and cracks in all
directions towards the ship, herself suffering
much, the freezing cold of 33°-, together with
a W.N.W. wind, and the dimness of the early
hour, combined to render our situation not a
little perilous and uncomfortable. 1 had been
alone to examine the edge of the outer ice, which
though greatly disturbed and making a deafening
noise, had not yet broken into our floe. But at
5h a.m.; a commotion like an earthquake took
place; additional cracks displayed themselves

* A small boat.

CHAP. V.] TUMULT CEASES. 225

across our snow houses, galleries, and court yard.
The ship creaked in her beams and timbers ; and
to our great dismay, the increasing daylight
shewed an advancing rampart of ice forming a
semicircle to seaward, and already much nearer
to us, from having rolled in one vast body full
eighty yards. It extended from S. W. to N. E.,
and Lieutenant M'Murdo who made the report,
estimated its height at thirty feet.* In all parts
now, within the scope of the above bearings,
enormous calves, some round and massy, others
like small floes, had escaped from confinement,
and tossed up into irregular positions looked
like so many engines threatening destruction.
But at this moment of most imminent peril there
was a pause, and at near 7h a.m. the whole tumult
suddenly ceased. It will be remembered that
as a screen from the severity of the climate, the
decks had been covered with layers, and the
sides protected by embankments of snow, now
hardened almost into solidity. I gave orders
that the whole of these should be cleared
away, as well to lighten the ship as much as
possible, as to get access to our supply of pro-
visions, which were ranged along the bulwark,
and this was the only step I could take towards
our preservation, in the event of the ship being

* It. afterwards sank to eighteen feet.
Q

226 CLEARING DECK. [CHAP.V.

crushed. The ice all round was so splintered and
jagged, that to put a boat upon it was out of the
question. Neither could it be made, even for an
hour, a deposit of provisions, full as it was of
clear cracks and small holes, the production of
each instant. Nothing therefore could have
been conveyed to the land, distant at least seven
or nine miles, and I think it at least doubtful
whether any one, even without incumbrance,
could have reached it.

The work of clearing the deck with pick-axe
and shovel went on briskly ; and at 3h p. m. the
ship rose up four inches, and towards evening,
when the after-part was completed, eight inches
more. The men under the inspection of the
officers, had exerted themselves considerably,
because, according to past experience, it was
thought the disturbance would recommence
about three o'clock. Nothing, however, beyond
a partial motion was then perceptible, nor until
5h 15m p. m. when the ship was lifted up abaft.
From that time, symptoms of the influence of
some under-current were audible in the cabin,
where the concussions of passing ice striking
underneath were too clearly heard to be misun-
derstood. It ended in the separation of two
edges of a large crack, not more than fifty yards
from the ship, which opened in the space of five
minutes into a hole of water. The extraordinary

CHAP. V.] DISUNION OF FLOE. 2^7

part of this was, that the opening did not con-
tinue along the crack to the edge of the floe,
but took place only in a particular spot, as if the
ice had been scooped out from the interval so
created. At 10h p. m. it closed a little, and imme-
diately a mound of ice was raised at the western
termination, adjacent to the starboard quarter ;
this had probably eased the pressure from the
ship, since little more was felt on board than a
few squeezes and an occasional concussion.
Meanwhile, the body of the ice outside the
ramparts, which had been for some time at rest,
began to be again disturbed. February 19th
arrived, and we looked with some anxiety to
the approach of the same hours, during which,
on the preceding morning, we had suffered so
much annoyance, fully expecting a repetition ;
but, fortunately the chief pressure fell on the new-
ly-opened crack, extending however occasionally
as far as the ship, and ending by heeling her over
to starboard. In fact, when the sun rose, it was
found she had forged about eight inches from
the bank of the dock on the larboard side, where
bay or young ice had closed up the interval.
About 10h a. m. another crack close ahead,
or rather on the starboard bow, opened, and en-
larged others near it, which in their turns pro-
duced fresh fractures, thus gradually separating
the floe into its original constituent parts. In

q 2

228 DOVEKTE SHOT. [CHAP.V,

this latter disunion, I could not but remark how
quickly the young ice was formed on the ex*
posed surface of water, on which thechrystals might
actually be seen darting and glancing till they
formed a continuous sheet. It happened that a
solitary Dovekie had found in its wanderings
the now circumscribed hole of water, which had
been created the evening before, and gladly
availed itself of this relief from its wearied flight,
unconscious of the dangerous neighbours who
observed it. Our keen sportsman, Mr. Gore,
soon brought it triumphantly on board, where of
course it underwent a careful scrutiny. Besides
the two white spaces in the wings, the breast
and under part were entirely white, as were the
whole of the neck and back except three patches
of a grey or speckled colour where the black and
white plumage were intermixed. Though the
maw was quite empty, thebird was tolerably plump.
From the circumstance of its coming so far from
land, it was inferred that there could not be
much, if any, open water in that direction; yet
in a couple of hours, three or four lanes became
suddenly visible, in one of which, at the edge of
the floe, the ice was drifting past us to the S. S. E.
Sunday had been kept on all occasions, when
the duty allowed of it, as a day of entire rest ;
but the necessity of clearing away the ice and
snow compelled for once a deviation from our

14

CHAP. V.] CONFUSED COMBINATIONS. 229

practice, and the work proceeded with uninter-
mitted energy. Looking at the heaps thus re-
moved, the broken arches of our galleries, and the
rent walls, the cracks in the floe, and the vast
mounds around it, one could not help being strongly
reminded of the scene which must follow an earth-
quake. The ship's head had been turned by the
late commotion about three points in shore ; and
judging from the land which was clearly seen,
she had been set at the same time to the south-
ward and eastward, rather towards an opening
in the bay, the exact nature of which could not
be ascertained. Evidently, however, it ran a long
way to the south, as the low land on its western
side was lost sight of; and as we could dis-
tinguish other points to the eastward, it was by
no means impossible that it might be continuous
with Evan's Inlet, thus making the land, the
eastern extremity of which is Seahorse Point, an
island. If this be so, the extraordinary rush of
water experienced in the recent convulsion of
our floe would be easily accounted for ; still the
soundings at noon had undergone no material
change, continuing to give eighty-three fathoms,
but with a substance containing particles of lime-
stone instead of green mud. The latitude was
64° 17' N. and longitude 81° 36' W. ; and the
extremes of land were from S. 8° 50' east to N.

q 3

230 SHEDS TAKEN DOWN. [CHAP.V.

32 W. ; barometer 29. 53, and temperature of
air 30° — A parhelion was observed.

In a very short time the ice got into motion,
and in a small lane on the starboard quarter
appeared to be setting south. At 3h p. m. the
same lane closed, and another immediately
opened at a short distance from it. At 4\ the
edge of the floe from west to north displayed
signs of considerable pressure, which, affecting
the ice alongside, drove it onwards with a rum-
bling noise so as to heel the ship over to
starboard. The beam whale-boat being thus
brought too near the ice, was hoisted half up
the main rigging. The shed too, which had been
so long familiar to our sight as the armourer's
work-shop was now necessarily taken down
and the spars, sails, ice-anchor, &c, brought on
board. At 8h p. m. a barrier was thrown up
nine feet high on the starboard bow, and, owing
to some under convulsion, the large pieces of
the floe on that side were much cracked and
broken ; besides which, the chink astern leading
to the edge of the floe in that direction
became sufficiently wide to admit of the
water being seen through it. There was only
a light air of wrind rather off-shore, so that these
changes must have been occasioned principally
by irregular tides. At 10h 30m p. m. several

CHAP. V.] AWFUL PERIL. 231

singular openings suddenly appeared in sight,
and were soon followed by another of those loud
rushing noises, known by experience to be the
forerunners of evil. The thermometer was 40° — ,
and the weather very cold.

February 20th. For three hours after mid-
night the ice opened and shut, especially on the
starboard beam and quarter, where mounds and
heaps were squeezed up alarmingly near the
ship, but without in any manner disturbing her,
beyond an occasional concussion and squeaking
pressure under the counter. But at 4h a. m.,
the whole of the ice was in motion, producing
instantaneous fissures, and, among these, an actual
separation of the ice along the starboard side,
extending beyond the bow, and throwing down
every thing in its way. Some of the galleries
were now floating in the water, looking like
tunnels. To find ourselves at freedom to move,
would, twro months later, have been the summit
of our wishes; but now we saw it with reluctance,
as it only mocked us with a hope which could
not be realized, while it involved us in immedi-
ate peril. At 7h a. m., the ice returning with
accumulated force made the ship crack fore and
aft with a hideous creaking that for some seconds
held us in suspense for the result. My cabin
door could with difficulty be forced open, and
was split with the pressure. The people, in

q 4

232 INSTRUCTIONS TO CREW. [CHAP.V.

alarm, crowded on deck ; and even the poor sick
came tottering aft, in an agony of terror. Provi-
dentially the ship lifted herself up fully eight
inches, under the pressure of a force that would
have crushed a less strengthened vessel to
atoms ; and thus the opposing ice either passed
in part beneath the bottom, or was wedged
against the large masses at either extremity.

After 8h a. m. we had some quiet ; and at
divisions, I thought it necessary to address the
crew, reminding them that as Christians and
British seamen, they were called upon to con-
duct themselves with coolness and fortitude ;
and that independently of the obligations imposed
by the Articles of War, every one ought to be
influenced by the still higher motive of a con-
scientious desire to perform his duty. I gave
them to understand, that I expected from one
and all, in the event of any disaster, an implicit
obedience to and an energetic execution of every
order they might receive from the officers, as
well as kind and compassionate help to the sick.
On their observance of these injunctions, I warned
them, our ultimate safety might depend. Some
fresh articles of warm clothing were then dealt out
to them ; and as the moment of destruction was
uncertain, I desired that the small bags in which
those things were contained should be placed on
deck with the provisions, so as to be ready at

CHAP. V.] GRANDEUR OF SCENE. 233

an instant. The forenoon was spent in getting
up bales of blankets, bear-skins, provision, pyro-
ligneous acid for fuel, and in short whatever
might be necessary if the ship should be suddenly
broken up, and spars were rigged over the
quarters to hoist them out. Meanwhile the ice
moved but little, though the hour of full moon
was passed ; but at noon it began to drift slowly
to the northward. We were now from five to eight
miles off the nearest land. The soundings were
in eighty-eight fathoms, and showed black mud,
which had not been seen before. The latitude
was 64° 16' N., and we had gone a little to the
eastward. Thermometer 21°-, and cold, owing
to spiculse falling. Barometer stationary at 29*55.
Wind west.

Though I had seen vast bodies of ice from
Spitzbergen to 150° west longitude, under
various aspects, some beautiful, and all more or
less awe-inspiring, I had never witnessed, nor
even imagined, any thing so fearfully magnifi-
cent, as the moving towers and ramparts that now
frowned on every side Had the still extensive
pieces of which the floe was formed been split
and divided like those further off, the effect
would have been far less injurious to the ship ;
but, though cracked and rent, the parts, from
some inexplicable cause, closed again for a
time, and drove with accelerated and almost
irresistible force against the defenceless vessel.

234 EXPECTATION OF CRISIS. [CHAP.V.

In the afternoon the other boats were hoisted
higher up, to save them from damage in the
event of the ship being thrown much over on
her broadside. For three hours we remained
unmolested, though the ice outside of the floe
was moving in various directions, some pieces
almost whirling round, and of course, in the
effort, disturbing others. At 5h p. m., however, the
piece near the ship having previously opened
enough to allow of her resuming a nearly up<-
right position, collapsed again with a force that
made every plank complain ; and further pres-
sure being added at six o'clock, an ominous
cracking was heard, that only ceased on her
being lifted bodily up eighteen inches. The
same unwelcome visitation was repeated an hour
afterwards, in consequence of the closing of a
narrow lane directly astern. The night was
very fine, but the vapour which arose from the
many cracks, as well as the small open space
alongside, quickly becoming converted into small
spiculse of snow, rendered the cold intolerably
keen to those who faced the wind. Up to mid-
night we were not much annoyed, and for four
hours afterwards, on February 21st, all was quiet.
Every man had gone to rest with his clothes on,
and was agreeably surprised at being so long
undisturbed by the usual admonitory grinding.
However, at 4h l()m a. m. a commotion was heard,
which appeared to be confined to the angle con-

CHAP. V.] BEAMS, &C. INSPECTED. 235

tained between west and north-west. On look-
ing round at day-break, it was found that the
ship had been released by the retreating of the
ice, and had nearly righted ; but at 5h a. m. she
was again sorely squeezed, and the nip being
repeated at 7h a. m., she rose eighteen inches as
before ; she was then at intervals jerked up from
the pressure underneath, with a groan each time
from the woodwork. Yet notwithstanding these
successive attacks, very little additional water
found its way into the well, which was sounded
every five minutes, and had not yet exceeded
seven inches in the twenty- four hours. On
inspecting the beams and decks — a precaution
that followed every nip — the former were found
firm, and the bolts still tight; but the latter
for about twelve feet abreast of the store-rooms
on the lower deck, had risen three quarters of
an inch, while the binding planks on the larboard
side abeam had also started a little. In order
therefore, to give additional support, it was pro-
posed to put up quarter shores along the lower
deck, and store-rooms, and the proposition was
immediately carried into effect. At 10h the ice
eased off, and some on the outside appeared as
if setting to the S.E., which was in shore of us.
The weather was fine, but for the reason already
assigned, extremely cold in the shade, or facing
the northerly wind in the neighbourhood of

286 HAVOC SPREADS. [CHAP.V*

frost smoke. I felt it keenly in making the
round of the now much rent floe, and in looking
with fresh wonder on the gigantic piles before
alluded to. Of the awful grandeur of these no
language could give an adequate description, and
even the more effective pencil has been able only
to catch one momentary aspect of a scene, the
terrible sublimity of which lay chiefly in the roll-
ing onward of these mighty engines of destruc-
tion. Cracks, rents, and banks extended from
the edge or base of the barrier towards the ship,
in every bearing on the north-east side, where
the ice was much the heaviest, and, conse-
quently, unless it should be splintered into
smaller masses, most to be dreaded in the encoun- *
ter. Around the other part of the floe the
havoc was, if possible, still greater, reaching, by
four or five transverse fractures, even to the
starboard side of the ship, while ahead and
astern longitudinal mounds of ice and snow
began to assume the appearance of barricades.

Whilst engaged with the first Lieutenant in
contemplating these effects, within ten paces of
the vessel, the sound of rushing water beneath
warned us to expect some change. All at once,
however, it ceased : another rush was heard,
which stopped as suddenly ; but a third, ad-
vancing with a louder roar, threw the whole
body into motion, and bringing the ponderous

CHAP. V.] VIOLENT PRESSURE. £37

acres with all their loads against the ship, threw
her up and considerably over to starboard, with
great violence, though, strange to say, without
apparent injury. It was then we saw her rise to
the pressure, and endeavour to thrust the ice
beneath her bends, a result much to be desired,
as it would form a sort of bolster to support her.
We had certainly gone somewhat to the east-
ward, since a point named, after the third Lieu-
tenant, M'Murdo, the bearing of which yester-
day was before, was now abaft the beam, and the
high bluff land was more clearly visible, though
in some measure dimmed by frost smoke.
There was no interruption from this time until
3h 30m p. m., when the ice suddenly pressed up
against the ship. It was not however till 6h that
it came with much force, when the decks, espe-
cially the upper one, creaked fearfully in the
afterpart, notwithstanding the four newly erected
shores in my cabin. As usual, after some resist-
ance, she rose and heeled over to starboard.
The two following hours kept us in a state of
painful suspense, for the ice closing in different
points occasioned violent pressure, that threw
her over twenty inches, and raised her nearly as
much. This was accompanied by one of those
loud rushing noises beneath, so frequently men-
tioned before. Judging from the previous even-
ing, we might now have expected a few hours of

238 DESOLATION. [CHAP.V.

tranquillity; but when every other part was
undisturbed, the extensive piece on the larboard
side moved slowly to the south, and again nipped
us. At llh this slackened, and thenceforth we
were quiet until 5h a. m. of February 22d,
during which interval I conceive the tide and
current were setting to the south and east.
From 5h until 8h a. m, the commotion again
went on, and caused several new, and enlarged
many old cracks, the detached pieces taking dif-
ferent directions, though still close together, and,
consequently, grinding or overlapping whatever
obstructed them. The pressure came suddenly
and without warning on the ship, and strained
her fore and aft, more especially, however, about
the orlop deck, where, on examination, the car-
penter discovered that some of the iron fasten-
ings in the store-rooms had received injury.
There had been, indeed, an immense pressure
on the starboard bow, as may be conjectured
from the fact that a huge mass had been
thrown up fully nineteen feet above the level.
The remnant of the wall across the bow had
been thrown down, and the ice there so bro-
ken as to present a most ruinous and deso-
late appearance. The whole scene indeed, far
as the eye could stretch, was confusion worse
confounded. Broken points at every angle, from
the perpendicular to the nearly horizontal, hum-

e*

ft'

fa

§5

H4

si

0 ti;

V

--

<
>

I

fr

CHAP. V.] SHIP REMAINS NIPPED. 239

mocks, mounds, jagged and warted masses,
splinters, walls, and ramparts, with here and
there, at far intervals, the remains of some floe
not yet entirely broken up ; — such was the
picture which saluted us on every side, teach-
ing the lesson of humility and resignation to
the will of Heaven. Much ice was forced un-
derneath the bottom on the starboard side,
and often bounded up with severe concussions
along the run abaft, making the ship tremble at
each successive shock. The angle of inclination
on that side was nine degrees.

Up to noon scarcely any alteration took place,
the vessel remaining heavily nipped. It had been
remarked during the last eight or ten days, that
from the early part of the day until a few hours
past noon, we had been regularly set to the west ;
but now, the ship's head had not only been turned
more out, and consequently in a better direction
for going along the coast, but we were drifted
by the ice to the north west until 3h 30m p. m.
when we seemed to be stationary. Among the
numerous cracks around, were several astern,
that after a temporary separation generally closed
again ; but an entirely new one now opened,
from fifteen to twenty feet wide, within the short
distance of thirty paces from the quarter : not far
from this, and completely isolating the high
hummock which under the name of Mount

240 LANES CLOSED. [CHAP.V.

Pleasant, had for the. whole winter, served as a
look-out station, was another lane ; and this again
was bisected by a third, that cut in two the snow
hut first made, the two parts of which were, on a
shifting of the lane, carried different ways. A
larger and more distant hut was already partly
crushed, and only awaited the advancing roll of
the rampart, now within a few feet of it, for its
final downfal. Between the hours of 6h and 8h
p. m. the rushing 'bore,'* was faintly audible to
the westward, and after various checks seemed
to resume its course with increased violence,
setting in motion whatever impeded its progress.
The lanes adjacent were all closed, and began
Grinding down their edees, which were speedily
thrown up into bordering mounds. The cracked
ice on either side was also agitated, and saved us
considerably by affording a channel for the bore.
Our anxiety indeed was not of long duration, for
the ice immediately adjoining the stern was more
pounded and the ship less affected than on any
of the recent assaults. The sky was clear over-
head, and almost calm, and midnight came with-
out any more disturbance than an occasional
rustling at the extreme barriers. This tran-
quillity remained until about 6h a. m. of the 23d,
when a remote sound indicated another commo-

* The bore is a sort of rampart or wall of water, thrown
up by the opposition of the current and the set of the tide.

CHAP.V.] CONTINUED PRESSURE. 241

tion ; but this effect was neither serious nor
lasting, and up to noon there was no annoyance.
The ship, however, had still the same inclination,
about three feet four inches to starboard, and
consequently remained nipped; and the bread
room having been cleared for an examination
abaft, a knee-chock on the larboard side was found
wrenched f of an inch from its position on the
after part, above which the deck was raised §
of an inch. Three shores were fixed on each
side of the bread room, as an additional support.
The weather was calm, and to a certain height
misty, from the great increase of minute frozen
particles. The difference between the two ther-
mometers on board, (those on the ice having
necessarily been taken down,) was at a little past
noon 27° ; the one being 19°—, and the other 8°-f .
The high land was still in sight, and evidently
nearer ; the extremes being from S. to W. N. W.
The latitude was 64° 14' 50" N. The ice con-
tinued setting to the N. W. until 4h p. m., then
remained stationary until 6h, after which there
was disturbance at intervals, in the direction of
the north east, but without any material effect,
except that a short cracking sound indicated
extra pressure on the ship.

The 24th was comparatively tranquil, and at
noon the ship remained with precisely the same
inclination. Still, as the wind was now directly on

R

242 doctor's report. [chap. v.

shore, there was no saying at what moment a nip
might come on ; and as the upper deck had been
more affected than any of the others, the first Lieu-
tenant suggested a method of lashing its beams to
the stronger ones of the lower deck, to prevent
them from rising up, as they had always a tendency
to do, when under the influence of heavy pressure
amidships, or on the topsides. The people were
forthwith set to work in canting the barge and
clearing the booms for that purpose. The wind
had set us towards the land abeam ; and that
ahead bore S. 3° E., distant about eight or ten
miles. After inspection to-day, Doctor Dono-
van made a favourable report of the health of
the crew, which he considered to be manifestly
improving. One only was added to the list,
whilst many of those who had been affected
were so far recovered, as to stand in no further
need of an extra quantity of acid. Until 5h p. m.
the ice was generally in motion, and setting fast
to the westward ; at that hour the motion ceased,
and was succeeded by a noise to the northward,
occasioned, as was supposed, by the freshening
breeze breaking up the ice in that quarter.
Soon after the cracking of the pitch and timber
about the stern frame gave notice of fresh an-
noyance ; and, though nothing could be detected
by the officer of the watch denoting any action
on the surface, the cracking became more vehe-

CHAP.V.] VIOLENT STRAINING. 243

ment, accompanied with a splitting of part of the
lining. It was evident, therefore, that there was
considerable pressure existing about the larboard
quarter ; and, a few minutes before 8h p. m., the
cause announced itself by a succession of loud
rushing noises, followed bv the rending of the ice
near us, and the squeezing of the ship. For two
hours more there was incessant motion of one kind
or other, bearing the ice hard against the larboard
side, particularly the quarter, and at midnight
the ship was straining much.

February 25th. During a brief interval we
were relieved from anxiety by a general stillness,
but the same unwelcome sounds soon returned ;
the vast bodies pressed more closely together,
producing complaints from the larboard quarter.
When the sun rose the ship was carefully exa-
mined, but notwithstanding all the sound and
fury heard in the night, no marks of external
violence were discovered. Early in the forenoon
the ship began to set towards the S.S.E. As the
low land abreast could now be distinctly made
out, it seemed that we must have neared it ; the
blue bluff ahead bearing due south was dim
from the quantity of small snow which was
flying about, causing a penetrating cold that all
complained of. The wind kept to the north
with a moderate force, and the temperature was
33°— ; but the southern thermometer being

r 2

244 SEVERE SHOCKS. [CHAP.V.

sometimes shaded by the rigging, and having no
other place so free from radiation to put it, the
register was not to be depended on. Baro-
meter, 29. 94. Latitude, 64° 14' 20" N., and
longitude, 81° 27' 15" W.

During the entire part of the afternoon the
ice appeared to set in a northerly direction,
though at 5h p. m. the high land was far more
distinct than I had hitherto seen it, many breaks
and inequalities being observed which were not
previously visible. For a couple of hours there
were irregular movements near us, and between
7h 30m and 8h the usual rushing sounds were
heard in the north-west quarter. The cracking
ice marked the course of the disturbing force
whatever it was, which, though frequently de-
viating and interrupted for a few seconds,
again broke onward with increased violence, bear-
ing down all opposition. Such were the severe
attacks the ship had continually to withstand,
and that too, at the weakest point. She cracked
much around the quarter, and was otherwise
heavily pressed.

February 26th. During several hours, the
ice, though to all appearance close jammed to-
gether, was often in motion, and came with
such sudden shocks, that few were able to sleep.
Many, indeed, lay down in their clothes, ready
to start up at a moment. Our devotions this

CHAP. V.] SERMON. 245

day were tinged with a solemnity becoming the
precariousness of our condition ; and a sermon,
upon the appropriate text "It is the Lord : let
Him do what seemeth Him good," was listened
to with the most profound and serious attention.
At noon the high land was much nearer, and
we had now opened the deep bay, inlet, or strait,
mentioned before. The land there was very low,
not unlike the description of the coast to the
south of Evan's Inlet. The bluff, which had been
denominated the blue bluff, from the tinge always
seen on it, could now be made out perfectly clear,
and was not more than ten miles off, and the
distance of the nearest low land did not exceed
four miles. Soundings were found in seventy-
two fathoms, having a bottom of rock and sand.
Some of the gentlemen thought they saw the
track of a fox, which, if so, must have taken
more than common trouble to make so long a
journey, and would find itself but poorly requited
after all. As usual, in the afternoon, the ice
eased off a little astern, and, after afew concussions
underneath, began to set in a body to the north-
west. While this was in progress, there was
an evident disposition in the broken masses of
ice, under the stern, to rise up ; and as they
would undoubtedly have staved in the cabin
windows, if nothing worse, some thick planking
was nailed across them, which, with the dead

r 3

246 TURMOIL. [CHAP.V.

lights, was considered to be strong enough to
resist any ordinary force. There was no move-
ment of any consequence until between 9h and
llh, when after many and various sounds, the
entire body around to the Northward began to be
agitated. The motion would suddenly cease,
and then as suddenly recommence ; sometimes
far off, more frequently near the ship ; squeezing
up ridges of ice, and causing a most distressing
creaking and splitting of the lining along the
larboard side. The aurora showed itself in the
south-west in the form of an arch, from which
beams darted up to the zenith.

February 27th. The time of the lowest neaps
having arrived, we naturally expected a few days'
respite, at least for the night, a boon which would
have been most joyfully accepted; for, the quan-
tity of clothing which the cutting cold rendered
necessary required so much time to put on,
that few lately had ventured to disburthen them-
selves of the whole, when seeking to snatch a
few hours of rest. It was not, however, our
fortune to be so indulged ; for about lh a. m.
the commotion and turmoil recommenced, and
soon forced the ship, embedded as she was, about
two feet astern. The creaking and crashing of the
ice in that short space was horrible, nor did it en-
tirely desist, until again closing it held us in a still
tighter grasp than before. After a pause of four

CHAP. V.] SET OF ICE. 247

hours, by opening out a few inches alongside, it
allowed the ship to come more upright, still,
however, with a considerable inclination. Some
narrow lanes of water appeared nearer the ice,
which was at present immovably fixed to the low
land, forming the western entrance to the deep bay
or inlet, and along the edge of which we seemed
to be setting to and fro. The frost smoke from
these lanes in some measure obscured the land
which however we seemed to have approached ;
thus making it apparent that the flood tide came
from the north-west, and without any aid from
wind (of which for two days there had been very
little), continued to drive us bodily along towards
Hudson's Straits. Up to llh a. m. the seaward
ice which encircled us passed rapidly to the south-
east, along the outer edge of that wedged against
the land at the entrance of the opening : at that
hour it stopped, and in the concussion produced
by the reaction, several pieces ground along and
underneath the bottom of the ship, but without
producing any corresponding action on the sur-
face. At noon all was once more silent. The
crew, for employment, were ordered to make
each a small sledge of the staves of casks, and
to sling the tin cases of pemmican. Our in-
valids were generally better, except two on the
sick list, who, probably from despondency, did
not improve as rapidly as their companions.

r 4

248 SHIP RIGHTS. [CHAP.V.

About lh40mp. m. the retrograde action com-
menced, and after compressing the masses nearer
together, a temporary obstacle within twenty paces
from the starboard quarter squeezed up a small
ridge twelve feet high. We kept driving to the
north-west until 6h p. m., from which time until
midnight we enjoyed almost uninterrupted quiet.

February 28th. The Aurora appeared in the
form of an arch in the south-east quarter, and, as
before, sent up beams towards the zenith, but
without colour. At lh 40m a.m. the reaction
took place, and once or twice pressed us closely,
though soon after the ice began to be more dis-
engaged, and that near the edge of the fixed
shore ice appeared to be going to the west-
ward. Between 4h and 8h a. m. there was some
grinding, but the cracks and openings grew
wider, and the ship gradually righted. The sea-
ward body again set to the S.E. ; but a large and
remarkable hummock, stationary among the land
ice abreast of us, showed us that our progress
had not been much, as the same mark had been
observed under a similar bearing about an hour
earlier the day before. Two or three narrow lanes
close to the vessel, and a continuous one along
the outer edge of the land ice, extending as
far as the farthest point of coast, gave me
reason to hope that the ice ahead was slowly
finding an outlet by the strait, which, with a

CHAP.V.] IMPROVING PROSPECTS. 249

westerly wind, there seemed every probability of
our soon reaching. In fact, had it not been for
the uncertainty respecting our being nipped, and
the apprehension that the whole frame-work
would, by constant repetition, get daily weaker,
nothing could be more desirable, or, as far as I
could judge, more favourable for my intention of
trying the passage by Sir Thomas Roe's Wel-
come, than our gradual approach towards Sea-
horse Point. How far the ship might be battered
by floating ice, and cross tides or currents, when
within the influence of Fox's Channel, the
Strait, and Hudson's Bay, not to mention the
races and strong sets of the Welcome, was a
consideration which I did not choose to dwell
upon ; satisfied that if we once got into open
water, the difficulties generally encountered on
such occasions would assuredly be overcome.

The ice within us was considerably more rent
by every fresh pressure, though that on the north-
east side, which sometimes served as a bulwark of
defence, and at others as an engine of attack,
remained, together with an adjoining part of our
old floe, the most imposing piece around. There
was one fact, however, as evident as it was new
and satisfactory, namely, that the aspect of the
ice originally forming our floe, — the very solid
properties of which we had so disagreeably
tested in our serious nip of last September, — was

&50 SLABS OF SNOW. [CHAP.V.

now completely changed. The identical pieces,
with the marks of the ship's side, were still
within a few paces of us ; and some of them
were fractured sufficiently, to show that a very
great reduction in thickness had taken place
upon the under surface. In every direction
where huge masses were upturned, or ridges
and barriers thrown up, it was observed by the
ice mate, and those who had had most expe-
rience in the Greenland seas, that there was
comparatively little solid ice, and that mostly
of this winter's formation. It was slabs of
frozen snow adhering to and covering most of
these masses, which gave them the formidable
appearance they assumed. It may, therefore, be
inferred that the rushing of currents and tides,
the sounds of which were distinctly heard under-
neath our floe, even when to the westward of
Cape Comfort, had the beneficial effect of grinding
down or wearing away the irregular under-surfaces
of the ice, as they chafed against any obstructions
to their course. This, if, as seems probable, a
correct explanation, will, in connexion with other
ascertained facts to some of which I have before
adverted, aid in accounting for the occasional
disappearance of ice, and consequent facility of
navigating these seas during particular seasons.

The crew were kept employed, and one of
them had a narrow escape from drowning, from

CHAP. V.] FINE WEATHER. &51

having incautiously, whilst crossing a narrow
opening, stepped on some slabs of snow, which
broke under him : he fell into the water, and
in a few moments would have been gone for
ever, had not Mr. Vaughan, the boatswain, seen
him, and run immediately to his succour. Before
noon the ship was free from pressure, but the ice
checked by the tide, drove her back again
towards the N. W. We were evidently farther
off shore than before, though still nearing two
remarkable round hills, having each a small dome-
shaped mound rising from the termination of
the slope, and forming the summit. To the
north and west, and seemingly connected with
them, was the blue bluff, now on our starboard
bow ; farther south was another point, the ex-
tremes of which and the land astern were S. E.
and N. W. by W. The weather was fine and
calm, and some icicles formed on the ship's side.
At lh 20ra p. m., a mercurial thermometer, hung
against the sunny side of the ship, rose to 11° 5 + ;
the spirit one on board in the sun being 15° — ,
and the one in the shade 21° — . In the latter
part of the day the ice set slowly to the N. W.,
but about 8h p. m. stopped, and closed a little on
the starboard side of the ship.

This was the lowest neap tide ; and as the weather
was calm, we looked forward to the comfort of a
quiet night. In this however we were disappointed.

252 LANES OF WATER. [CHAP.V.

From 10h p. m. there was no peace, but on the
contrary, harsh rubbing, smart explosions, and
other varieties of discordant sounds, quite suf-
ficient to keep the mind on the alert. As day-
light gleamed, several narrow lanes of water
were perceived running from the quarter, in-
shore, directly ahead of the ship, and precisely
in the same crack, which we hoped to have got
through last year, when the ship's head was the
other way. Under any circumstances they were
not wide enough to afford us a passage ; and a few
minutes wTere sufficient to coat them with young
ice, which of itself barred all progress. So long,
however, as they remained open, they aided the
work of destruction, by allowing space for the
large bodies to grind against each other ; but the
ship was what is termed free in her dock ; that
is to say, she was from two to three feet away
from the walled sides of ice and snow which
usually hemmed her in, the clear interval below
being frozen hard with young ice. Whether
from the current of air thereby permitted to
circulate round the bends, or from the removal
of the snow covering and embankment, or both,
the water in the pump-well was found for the
first time frozen. Its temperature was 30° -j-,
and that of the lower deck 58° + . The land
was clearly seen from the deck, running out
to a point in the extreme distance, bearing

CHAP.V.] PARHELION. 253

S.E. ^ S., but during the last twenty-four hours
we had not gone much if at all towards it. At
noon there was a moderate breeze from the north,
which increased so as to predict a gale, a result
least of all to be desired from that point of the
compass, as it would have infallibly brought
down an immense pressure upon the leeward ice
packed against Southampton Island. Happily it
declined with the setting sun, and subsequently
fell quite calm. In the afternoon there was a
beautiful parhelion, with an outer circle and one
mock sun. The subtended angle of the latter
was 45°. It is to be observed, that for some
time past wre had regularly been set backwards
and forwards, along shore, with the flood and ebb,
generally gaining upon the whole some trifling
advantage with the former, as proved by our
gradual approach to the land ahead. To-day,
however, owing, as was supposed, to the op-
posing wind, there was no retrograde motion to
the westward at all ; and it was reasonable, there-
fore, to calculate at the turn of tide on some
acquisition of distance. Nevertheless the hour
passed without the slightest alteration ; but,
at 10h p. m., several sudden jerks in the cabin
warned me that something was going on ; and, ac-
cordingly, near an hour after, a general rumbling
was audible to seaward and astern. After some
alternations of commotion and pauses, and when

254 DREADFUL COMMOTION. [CHAP.V.

all was still and apparently ended, suddenly the
vast bodies in contact with, and immediately sur-
rounding the ship, were in fearful agitation, rising
up in grinding conflict, piece thrown over piece
until the ponderous walls tumbled over, and the
whole accompanied with a screeching and howling
and whining which was absolutely hideous : such
was the violence of the pressure that the ship
was lifted up abaft, and both hull and rigging
trembled violently. Another pause ensued ;
the stars shone brightly ; a faint gleam of aurora
was playing near the zenith, and so beautiful
and hushed was every thing, that nature seemed,
as it were, in a trance. But scarcely had the idea
flitted across the mind, when the war burst out
again with more fury than ever, and huge frag-
ments and masses seemed to be rolling down upon
us with an impetuosity that threatened immediate
destruction. Repose was impossible : many
started from their beds, preferring, though they
could do nothing, rather to see than merely
hear the danger. The current rushed irre-
sistibly to the stern ; and, taking the hull fore
and aft, forced a complete stream of broken
ice under the bottom, lifting the after part still
higher up than before. While the first Lieu-
tenant was below with the carpenter and his
crew, anxiously observing the beams and decks
as the heavy strain came upon them, to see which

14

CHAP. V.] HUBBUB CEASES. Q55

most complained, and to be ready in the event
of injury if possible to repair it ; I was standing
on the tafrail, watching the approach of a solid
mass, part of our late floe, which was forcing
another huge mass, like an advancing wave, over
a hard piece, already noticed as having oppressed
our starboard quarter last year. At length, the
ship became so completely hampered by ice
underneath, that the remainder of the floe, on
either side, moved about eight or ten feet ahead,
leaving the ship fixed in the midst, and wedged
up in every direction. This was another novelty
to our Greenlandmen, who, in the strange and
unaccountable phenomena which now presented
themselves, grew daily more puzzled.

At 2h a. m., March 2d, the hubbub ceased,
and we slept until morning without further inter-
ruption. As daylight broke, the havoc was more
clearly seen, and a wild scene of confusion it
was. About a mile ahead the frost smoke
betrayed an opening that led along the land-
packed ice to abeam of the ship ; and this, with
a few other lanes, was the only dhTerence in that
respect which was observable. The land was
much raised by refraction, and we seemed to
have neared it a little. I say seemed, for, in
consequence of a gentle undulatory motion of
the ice close to the ship, which, though imper-
ceptible to the eye, was proved by the mercury

256 THERMOMETERS. [CHAP.V.

in the artificial horizon, the observations could
not always be relied upon as exact. The sun
was acquiring power daily ; for, at 10h 30m a. m.
we saw the vapour rising from the southern
aspect of a snow wall, and at llh 30m a.m. a
mercurial thermometer with a blackened bulb,
placed against an empty coal bag, rose to 28° + ,
while that on board (spirit and clear bulb) was
19°__, and the one in the shade 27° — . The
sky was free from clouds, a light air prevailed
from the S.W. ; and, whether from the wind
being off shore, or some other local cause, we
were free throughout the day from annoyance of
any kind, except a distant sound, as of a rushing
towards the south.

March 3d. The same sounds continued, and
at 2h 30m a. m. reached the ship, but without
producing any thing more serious than rubbing
and sliding loose pieces of ice against the sides.
This soon subsided, and again we remained per-
fectly quiet up to noon, when the mist which
had hitherto concealed the land cleared away,
and the bearings placed us a little to the east-
ward of our position of yesterday. At lh p. m.
the wind still slanting off the land, a lane of
water was observed to open about half a mile
distant from the ship. It was fully a quarter of
a mile broad, and extended a long way towards
the point. From this fact, there was reason to

CHAP. V.] A LULL. C25J

suppose that, however close and packed the ice
might be in our vicinity, there either could not
be such a continuous body to the northward as
we conjectured, or, that it must be interrupted
by lanes and other openings sufficiently extensive
to allow of its being put into motion even by a
light wind. Towards evening the ice closed a
little, but until 6h a. m., March 4th, remained
perfectly quiet, and thus allowed us the enjoy-
ment of a sound sleep. Neither at that hour
was there any thing more than a slight rushing
ahead, occasioned probably by the change of
tide, as the ship began immediately to drift to
the N.W., and so continued to do until noon.
The approach of the new moon kept us alive to
every symptom of change in the weather ; and
when the wind drew more round to north, caus-
ing a trifling movement among the ice in that
quarter, apprehensions began to be entertained
that a breeze would come from the same point.
Meantime the ship drifted backward and forward
with the tide, without encountering any annoy-
ance. We had now thirty-six small sledges
made, which completed our arrangements for
whatever might happen.

After a passing alarm in the early morning, the
5th of March went quietly over until 6h p, ivl,
when a noise was heard in the north-east direction.
The breeze also had freshened, and often came in

s

258 CONCUSSION. [chap. v.

squalls. A little past 8h the disturbance reached
the ship, bringing down the heavy bodies
to windward with a fearful pressure, ploughing
up the small quantity of young ice alongside,
and lifting other large fragments up to the
chains, from the starboard quarter to the
bow. During two hours and a half our situa-
tion was exceedingly precarious, and it seemed
every moment as if the ship were making
her last struggle. For a few minutes she was
forced up by the ice fifteen feet forwards,
and then thrust resistlessly astern. Hardly
was this over when the large pieces on the star-
board side moved slowly forward, and the still
more ponderous ones to windward closed at right
angles, thus subjecting her to the severest trial.
All this time the bottom was continually
thumped and hammered by the huge calves
struggling to get free, each blow shaking the
whole frame so violently as to be sensibly felt on
deck ; and, not knowing what the effect might be,
the hands were turned up and the sick dressed,
to be ready for the worst. The thermometer at
the time was 25°— , and the weather decidedly

cold.

By midnight there was a pause, and at lh a.m.
March Gth, a relaxation on the starboard side,
where two cracks had separated sufficiently to
show the water. The submerged masses, now

CHAP.V.] ICE HILLS. 25Q

more at liberty, sought release from their im-
prisonment ; and finally, the ship freed by these
various secessions, righted. Still however the
disturbance continued, and at 3h a. m. the ice
again closed with the same almost intolerable
pressure. When daylight broke, the land was
discovered bearing from S. E. by E. to N. W.
7} W., and apparently we had gone somewhat
to the eastward. From what had occurred in
the last twelve hours a more than ordinary
change was expected, nor in vain ; for besides
several fresh barriers, masses of many tons' weight
were seen riding on the top of mounds which
even before had been considered very high. But
the most striking effect had been produced along
the walled side of the shore ice, where, for several
miles, actual hills fifty feet high had been thrown
up. We were also nearer than before, but hoped
that the several considerable pieces which yet
interposed, would, for some time, perhaps entirely,
prevent our being driven on the land. At 9h 30m
a. m. as the tide turned, we of course suffered,
but not materially as compared with what had
just passed, and up to noon all was tolerably
quiet. The wind was still north, the barometer
30.37, thermometer at 21° — , difference in the
sun 14°. Latitude 64° 12' N. and longitude 81°
16' W. At lh 45m p. m. the ice ceased its drift
to the N. W., and after some cracking alongside,

s Q

260 ANXIETY. [CHAF, V

at £h p. m. it set at the rate of between two and
three miles an hour to the S. E. The barometer
indicateda further rise, and therefore fine weather ;
but though clear overhead it grew misty about
the horizon as the sun went down ; and the breeze
freshening in squalls brought a proportionate
pressure from the entire body to windward, which
caused much straining and cracking on the lar-
board side and quarter. The ice too alongside
and near became agitated, occasioning consider-
able annoyance. On this day of the new moon,
indeed, such effects were to be expected, but our
fear was that, having commenced earlier than was
expected, they betokened something more serious
afterwards. Our anxiety {for there is no becom-
ing indifferent to this kind of trial) lasted till 8h
p. m., during which interval we had drifted closer
to the fearful looking wall of what was called the
shore ice. About 9h p. m. the ship suffered many
shocks and hard rubbings from afresh disturbance,
and we should doubtless have been kept in a
state of restlessness all night, had not a sepa-
ration taken place in a crack about fifty paces
from the ship, which allowed a lateral escape to
the pressure of the opposing parts.

On the following day, March 7th, we were un-
usually quiet until 5h a.m., whenanother commotion
began, and again made the poor ship crack and
tremble violently. This was accompanied by a

CHAP. V.] FURTHER AGITATION. 26 1

grinding and heavy thumping abaft under the
larboard counter, where I understood from the
officer of the watch, a very compact gallery, built
on a solid mass, was forcing itself underneath and
lifting the ship over. Going on deck, I found
she had risen two or three feet, and was cer-
tainly suffering under severe pressure. Mean-
time she was carried by the ice rapidly to the
S. E. We had the land more broad on the bow,
and could clearly distinguish the farthest point
ahead from the deck ; but we were not, as I
thought, nearer the wall, which however was
very distinct, and perpendicular as well as high.
Hitherto it had been supposed to be attached to
the land ; but Mr. Green, the ice mate, now
detected the movement of an inner body, by ac-
cidentally seeing two hummocks cross each other,
the outer one steady, the inner one moving. It
was evident, therefore, that we were at the edge
of the strongest set of the current and tides, and,
could we have been divested of other anxieties,
were perhaps in the very best situation for getting
early into open water. After a tranquil day, the
ship setting backward and forward with the tide
as before, at 5h 50m p. m, she was thrown up three
inches higher than before. This was the beginning
ofa series of strange and unaccountable convulsions,
which to any less fortified ship would assuredly
have proved fatal. The northerly and N. N. E.

s 3

£62 APPALLING SHOCKS. [CHAP.V.

fresh breezes which had brought the ice down
for more than three hundred and sixty miles,
had fallen calm, and given way to a more west-
erly and very light air ; an interval too of more
than twelve hours had elapsed to check the im-
petus so given, and it was, therefore, reasonable to
conclude that no impediment would occur to a
peaceable progress. In this, however, we were
cruelly deceived. From 6h p. m. ominous rush-
ing sounds were heard far off to the north east
and north west. These gradually drew nearer,
as the flood made its way either under the com-
pact bodies that withstood the shock, or along
the cracks and openings — gaining in these latter
a furious velocity, to which every thing seemed to
yield. It happened that there were several of
these around the ship ; and, when they opened
on us like so many conduits pouring their con-
tents to a common centre, the concussion was
absolutely appalling, rending the lining and
bulkheads in every part, loosening some shores
or stanchions, so that the slightest effort would
have thrown them down, and compressing others
with such force as to make the turpentine ooze
out of their extremities. One fir plank placed
horizontally between the beams and the shores,
actually glittered with globules. At the same
time the pressure was going on from the larboard
side, where the three heaviest parts of the ruin

CHAP. V.] BOLTS, &C. LOOSENED. Q6o

of the iloe remained, cracked here and there, but
yet adhering in firm and solid bodies. These of
course were irresistible ; and after much groaning,
splitting, and cracking, accompanied by sounds
like the explosion of cannon, the ship rose fore and
aft, and heeled over about 10° to starboard. On
sounding the well there appeared a trifling in-
crease of water, amounting in the day to cl\
inches, a proof that she was loosened. Below
indeed, during the pressure, a part of the bulkhead
of the steward's room had fallen out into the after
cockpit ; while three of the lower deck beams
eighteen inches square, abreast of the larboard
fore chains, had been lifted half an inch from the
shelf-piece : the bolts that fastened them were
drawn a quarter of an inch, and several treenails
also were much loosened. Even when the
weather became calm the agitation of the ice did
not subside, but continued up to midnight, assail-
ing the ship with almost unremitted violence.

Nor on the following day, 8th March, was there
much abatement; and at 7h a.m. the ice closed, and
again straining the ship, raised her several inches
higher, making in the whole four feet three inches.
A light air was now blowing from the S. W.
which was nearly off shore, but wedged as the
vessel now was we could scarcely expect to
escape all annoyance. In fact, not a hole of
water was visible from the mast-head \ and, with

s 4

264 FLIGHT OF BIRDS. [CHAP.V.

the ice so jammed in every part, it must have
required an astonishing impetus in the first in-
stance to make the effects felt so far. Nothing
indeed but a current from the north co-operating
with the tide, could in my opinion possibly have
brought about such a result. We had decidedly
gone more towards the outer point, which, even
when thrown up by refraction as all the land
was, appeared too low to answer the descrip-
tion of high coast given by Captain Lyon as
forming the Seahorse Point of Button. The land
formerly called the blue bluff was now nearly
abeam, and appeared, as well as the snow per-
mitted me to judge, to be composed of rocks, in
some of which were gullies. It seemed the eastern
entrance to the Inlet, Strait, or Bay frequently
alluded to before ; and receding from it further
south and east, the land bending in a semi-lunar
form terminated in two bold and tolerably high
hills, which are perhaps the most remarkable
along the whole coast as far as Cape Bylot.
Their dome-like summits assumed a more an-
gular outline as we altered the bearings, and
the coast had some bays and cliffs. A novelty
presented itself in the shape of a flight of birds,
supposed to have been dovekies, which were seen
flying from the land towards the north, most
likely in search of open water. At noon the
black thermometer was 36° + , the plain one

CHAP. V.] GALE. 265

7° + , and the one in shade 14° — . At lh p. m.
the blackened thermometer was as high as 41° + .
The day passed quietly over, and at last, for the
first time for many nights, I enjoyed the comfort
of unloading myself from a stack of clothes.

At noon of the 9th a visible progress had been
made along the land, the south extreme of a high
bluff bearing S. 38° W. The afternoon was
rather fine ; and though there was no perceptible
motion on the surface, yet the two large pieces
of ice opened apart almost athwart the stern,
and within only a few paces from it. This
was done quietly, and directly against the force
of the wind ; but when the ship began to set to
the S.E., as she did at a little past 4h p. m., they
closed again, occasioning a strain upon the
larboard quarter. From that time the breeze
freshened rapidly from the N.E., a point from
which it was least desired, as it brought the
whole force of the windward ice against the
broadside. At 7h 30m p.m. there was a strong
gale, and squalls in quick succession, driving
the low scud over the young moon with great
velocity. The natural accompaniments were
not remote, and soon announced in grating
sounds their impetuous and destructive march.
I beheld two enormous masses, one of which
had hitherto resisted every attack to thrust it
from its place, hurled onward across the stern,

266 TREMENDOUS HUBBUB. [CHAP.V.

in a line for the shore ice, which there seemed
little prospect with such a gale of long avoiding.
The ship cracked and shook violently, and no
longer able to offer direct resistance rose several
inches. It was a boisterous and restless night,
passed in wearisome listening to the incessant
crashing, which, for aught known to the contrary,
indicated the final dissolution of our hope and
stronghold, the floe. The hubbub at length
reached its climax. A hollow grinding, as from
the onward motion of some vast body, came
louder and louder on the ear, and, speed and
sound increasing as it approached, finally burst
with deafening fury on the ship, causing such
fearful cracks and ominous tremblings, that all
waited the result in painful suspense. A little
more and she must go ! What of human con-
struction could withstand the violence of such
an onset ! Still she continued to rise as the
pressure increased. In an instant it ceased, and
all was still as death.

After midnight, March 10th, the wind veered
more to the north, blowing heavily in squalls ;
and, in the north-west circle of the heavens, a
beautiful meteor was seen shooting athwart the
sky in an elliptic course, with a brilliant pale
blue light. After this we were indulged with a
few hours of repose, but from 4h to 8h a. m. we
were again disturbed, and again listened with

CHAP. V.] SET OF ICE. 267

anxiety to the severe complainings of our excel-
lent ship. On examination, the proper officer
found that she had been lifted up forward three
and a half feet, and one and a half abaft. No
injury, beyond an indentation from the pressure,
could be detected outside, and with the excep-
tion of two or three trifling leakages in the
upper deck, there had been no mischief below.
During the remainder of the day nothing mate-
rial occurred. The ship was set backwards and
forwards with the tide along the mural edge
of the in-shore ice, still advancing towards the
S.E., but more slowly to-day in consequence of
the course of the wind along the elbow of the wall.
About 9h 30m p. m. there was an easing of the
ice from the sides, and a free space created of
three feet on one, and nearly two on the other
side, whereby the ship was allowed to slide a little
astern and come more upright.

We were favoured with a tranquil night, and
on March 11th, after a slight commotion, the
whole body set fast to the S. E. At llh 40m a. m.
this ceased, and at noon again set N. W. By the
bearing of the land we had gone a little to the
eastward. Though there was not much change
in the ice inside of us, that to seaward certainly
looked less high than formerly, while the reaction
which had made the whole body thereabouts ease
out, indicated open water to the north. Indeed

268 NAUTICAL ARTISTS. [CHAP.V.

the fact of our being driven to this distance from
Frozen Strait, explains at once how it was that
Sir E. Parry saw so much open water off Winter
Harbour. In all probability it was at this very
moment equally free from all but young ice, as
the prevalent winds would have cleared it from
every more solid impediment. At lh p. m. the
black thermometer was 43° + . The ice con-
tinued perfectly still, and the day being fine, some
of the men amused themselves by cutting out
figures from blocks of snow, bringing them as
they were finished within a few feet of the star-
board bow, and depositing them on a smooth
piece of solid ice for exhibition. The oddity of
the grouping provoked a smile. The most con-
spicuous figure was that of a female, favoured with
a most liberal allowance of bust, arms akimbo, a
very slender waist, great deficiency of hips, and
legs deplorably curtailed. Injustice however to
the delicacy of the artist, it ought to be observed
that the limbs were supposed to be enveloped in
a straight tight gown, ornamented with a fringed
apron falling so low as to disclose only the sub-
stantial feet and still more substantial ankles.
Grouped around this principal personage, were
various little boys in hats and trowsers ; houses,
forts, vessels; and a heavy piece of ordnance,
doubtless intended as the symbol and guarantee
of her sovereignty. She was attended, moreover,

CHAP. V.] TURMOIL. 209

I should rather perhaps say guarded, by a sort of
fierce wolf dog, which amidst all changes main-
tained its post by its mistress's side. I encouraged
this humour of the men, glad to perceive that
their minds were free enough from care to indulge
in it. Indeed the first warmth of the sun and the
tranquillity of the ice had dispelled the notion of
immediate danger, and the light-hearted sailors
yielded to their feelings and enjoyed the hour

while it lasted.

After 6h p. m. the tide set towards the S. E.,

and notwithstanding the calmness of the weather

and the decreasing flow and ebb, there were at

long intervals, distant sounds, that portended

nothingfavourable. As these increased in strength

and rapidity, the various cracks and openings near

us gradually drew closer, but without squeezing

the ship. At length, after many rushes and many

sudden pauses, the larger remnants of the floe to

seaward came slowly nearer, preceded by ruins

which, though insignificant as compared with

what had been, were still massy enough to make

a fearful clamour as thev were sunk beneath and

wedged against the ship's bottom. At this time

(past 9h p. m.) she showed symptoms of suffering

in the hull, which was evidently undergoing a

severe ordeal. Inexplicable noises, in which the

sharp sounds of splitting and the harsher ones

of grinding were most distinct, came in quick

270 INTENSE SUSPENSE. [CHAP.V.

succession, and then again stopped suddenly,
leaving all so still that not even a breath was
heard. In an instant the ship was felt to rise
under our feet, and the roaring and rushing
recommenced with a deafening din alongside,
abeam, and astern, at one and the same instant.
Alongside, the grinding masses held the ship
tight as in a vice ; while the overwhelming pres-
sure of the entire body, advancing from the west,
so wedged the stern and starboard quarter, that
the greatest apprehensions were entertained for
the sternpost and frame-work abaft. Some idea
of the power exerted on this occasion may be
gathered from this : — At the moment which I am
now describing, the forepart of the ship was lite-
rally buried as high as the flukes of the anchors
in a dock of perpendicular walls of ice, so that
in that part she might well have been thought
immovable. Still, such was the force applied to
her abaft, that after much cracking and per-
ceptible yielding of the beams, which seemed to
curve upwards, she actually rose by sheer pressure
above the dock forward, and then with sudden
jerks did the same abaft. During these convul-
sions many of the carpenters, and others stationed
below, were violently thrown down on the deck
as people are in an earthquake. It was a mo-
ment of intense suspense ; and to avoid con-
fusion, the hands were called, and the officers

CHAP. V.] SHIP STRAINED. 271

with their respective crews stationed at their
boats, ready for lowering and securing them on
the larger parts of the floe. All this was done
by the first Lieutenant, under my inspection,
with the utmost coolness and promptitude ; and
thus prepared, we waited the result. Heaven,
however, again protected us, and at llh p. m. all
was in dead repose.

An examination for the purpose of ascer-
taining what injury had been sustained was
immediately commenced by clearing the bread-
room ; and, so far as our compact and heavy
cargo would permit the inspection (for we
were afraid to move it lest the solidity and
means of resistance should be weakened below),
little was detected on the larboard side and
right aft. But on the other, at eight feet
from the round of the quarter, one of the
stringers, nine inches thick, was found severely
split, though the extent of the mischief could
not be seen, owing to the diagonal doubling
across it. Four of the lower- deck beams also had
been lifted from their pillars three-eighths of an
inch. The well was sounded every five minutes,
and at first we thought she did not leak \ but the
unwelcome truth was forced upon us, when,
from five to ten inches were reported. This was
soon cleared out, and subsequently she made
about an inch and a half of water an hour. It
was now, therefore, certain that the ship had

272 DIVINE SERVICE. [ciIAP.V.

been seriously strained ; and as it would be
necessary for the future to inspect narrowly the
complaining parts, I caused the bread, which
had hitherto been stowed there, to be taken up,
and placed, carefully covered over, on deck.

March 12th. The ice began to set to the
eastward, and at the dawn of day a narrow lane
of water was descried ahead, extending north
and south. On going outside, the ship was seen
fairly lifted on the ice forward, and fearfully
wedged up abaft. She was in fact four feet
eight inches above her usual line of flotation.
The ice was much pressed up at certain points,
and closely jammed in all ; a circumstance easily
accounted for by the fact, that as we were nearer
the mural ridge, this also had undergone a
change in its outline : for though still, at unequal
distances, thrown up in smooth and perpendicu-
lar cliffs, terminated by peaked or jagged tops,
there were spaces between these corresponding
with the rest of the crushed masses around.
We fancied, moreover, that farther inshore
there was another similar ridge.

We assembled at Divine Service as usual on
Sunday, and returned thanks for the protection
which had been so signally and mercifully
afforded us ; and in this, if I might judge from
the earnest and devotional tone of the responses,
there was no want of sinceritv. Noon came
peacefully. We had undoubtedly advanced along

CHAP. V.] FIXING SHORES. TJ3

the high land, and were bringing the lower
point ahead clearer into view. The weather was
calm: the latitude 64° 8' 30" N., and longi-
tude 81° 5' W.

After midnight, March 13th, there was a com-
motion heard to the northward, but it did not
extend to the ship, and again we had the luxury
of a quiet night. In the morning the ship was
found to have settled down a few inches, although,
with the exception of the tidal lane, there was no
open water in sight. One of the officers attended
by a couple of men attempted to reach the shore
to the eastward, but after a rather tedious walk
of two or three hours, he found so much inter-
ruption from narrow but open cracks leading
into the principal lane, that he halted. He had
seen the fresh tracks of an enormous bear.
About 8h 30m p. m. I heard a faint rush under
the stern, and from that time until midnight
there was considerable under pressure, which,
with occasional cracking, in that part especially,
raised the vessel up an inch or two more. Find-
ing that, notwithstanding the shores which had
been fixed in the bread-room and elsewhere,
there was still an immense strain fore and aft, we
determined on increasing the number, and for
that purpose immediately selected the best and
fittest spars on board. Thrown up and nipped
as we were under the resistless action of three

274 GENERAL ORDER. [CHAP.V.

hundred miles of drift ice, it was obvious that
if any thing did happen, it would be as sudden
as in all probability it would be serious ; and I
therefore issued a general order to the officers in
charge of the boats, to the following effect : that
whenever it should be considered necessary to
lower the boats, they were to see them first
removed far enough from the ship's sides to
avoid accidents from any motion which might
be going on, and, if there were time, to lighten
them of the stores always kept there ; they were
then to be hauled to separate pieces of the
largest ice, and placed, together with the stores,
in temporary safety. The invalids (if the case
were urgent) were to be taken care of by the
crews to which they severally belonged, and the
medical officers were to see that such coverings
and protection from the weather were provided
them as the pressure of circumstances might
permit. A man was to be left in charge of eacli
boat and cargo ; after which, the officers and their
respective mates and crews were to return on
board and make their reports to me.

On the 14th March the barometer continued
to fall, and the wind increased to a fresh gale,
accompanied by snow and much drift. At in-
tervals, indeed, the ship was quiet, but more
frequently cracked and strained, in a manner
that showed how severely she was suffering.

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V

CHAP. V.] HEAVY WEATHER. Tj5

This was more particularly felt in the after cock-
pit and bread-room ; and four more shores, with
diagonal bracings from the stringers to the orlop
beams, were fixed up. The ice was too close to
get soundings, and the weather too misty from
small snow to allow the land to be seen, or
observations to be got. We seemed, however,
very little nearer the mural edge. At noon the
wrind was N.N.E., squally, and at times blowing
a gale. The thermometer (air) 3° — . Almost
immediately after there was a visible motion
ahead of the ship, and the ice then began to
set slowly to the westward. At 2h 30m p. m.
the weather cleared enough to allow of our see-
ing the land, a point of which bore S. 22° E.,
while the centre of the blue buff was S. 62° W.
The gale continued unabated, blowing very hard
in squalls, with occasional lulls. A little after
7h p. m. the advancing ice began to press hard
upon and underneath the stern and quarter,
causing considerable cracking fore and aft. No
motion, however, could be detected at the surface,
For the following four hours the pressure at times
was alarmingly severe, lifting up the lower-deck
beams three-eighths of an inch, and twice throw-
ing down all the upright shores. After this had
passed, the ice was forcibly driven to the east-
ward, and though we were never entirely free
from pressure, yet the cracking sounds were not

t 2

2J6 BLOWS A GALE. [CHAP.V.

so loud. March 15th. — The ship seemed suffer-
ing much below, though again no motion was
perceptible from the deck on the surface of the
ice. The leak also had slightly increased.

In the morning the weather was still thick and
misty with the same sort of small snow, resem-
bling the sort of spray or congelated vapour ex-
perienced when to leeward of open water; the
gale continuing to blow hard in squalls. That
we should make some advance, therefore, was not
surprising ; but, considering the extreme closeness
of the ice, no one certainly had expected to see
the ship not far from the low point which formed
the eastern extreme of yesterday. Such, how-
ever, was the irresistible power urging the entire
body forwards, that we were now actually within
four miles of the low land on the beam ; and
from 8h a. m. the ice drove rapidly along this
shelving beach, composed, apparently, of coarse
gravel and stones. No rocks were seen. It was
of importance to get soundings, but after a fore-
noon's trial, and with the loss of ice chisels, &c,
the utter impossibility of cutting through the
underlayers of ice, compelled us to abandon the
attempt. Near the shore the ice was thrown up in
some places from twenty to thirty feet ; and the
mural line, which had for a space disappeared,
here began again and stretched out to another

low point almost ahead. As we rounded the

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CHAP. V.] TREMENDOUS RUSH. 077

curve of the land the pressure and strain were
violent on the larboard quarter and bow, forcing
the ship upon the ice, and raising her so much as
to bring the eleven feet water mark in sight fore
and aft. Several rushes succeeded and lifted her
up more by the stern, again raising the beams
and causing a severe strain on the diagonal shores.
The whole of the ice continued to set eastward,
producing in its progress a jerking motion as it
was checked by the shore ice and the land. At
noon the weather was misty, with the wind blow-
ing fresh in squalls from N. W. by N. : barometer
29. 17» always falling; latitude observed 64°. 9 N.
Up to this day, however anxious, we were
yet safe ; but we were now destined to witness
trials of a more awful kind. While we were
gliding quickly along the land — which I may
here remark, had become more broken and
rocky, though without attaining an altitude of
more than, perhaps, one or two hundred feet —
at lh 45ra p. m. without the least warning, a
heavy rush came upon the ship, and, with a tre-
mendous pressure on the larboard quarter, bore
her over upon the heavy mass on her starboard
quarter. The strain was severe in every part,
though from the forecastle she appeared to be
moving in the easiest manner towards the land
ice. Suddenly, however, a loud crack was heard
below the mainmast, as if the keel were broken

t 3

278 IMMINENT PERIL. [CHAP.V.

or carried away ; and simultaneously, the outer
stern post from the ten feet mark was split down to
an unknown extent, and projected to the larboard
side upwards of three feet. The ship was thrown
up by the stern to the seven and a half teet mark ;
and that damage had been done was soon placed
beyond doubt by the increase of leakage, which
now amounted to three feet per hour. Extra
pumps were worked, and while some of the car-
penters were fixing diagonal shores forward,
others were examining the orlops and other parts.
It was reported to me by the first Lieutenant,
Master and carpenter, that nothing could be
detected inside, though apprehensions were en-
tertained by the two former, that some serious
injury had been inflicted. In spite of the com-
motion, the different pieces of our floe still re-
mained firm ; but being unable to foresee what
might take place in the night, I ordered the two
cutters and two whale boats to be lowered down,
and hauled with their stores to places considered
more secure ; this was accordingly done, though
not under two hours and a half, even with the
advantage of daylight. The ship was still setting
fast along shore and much too close to the fixed
ice ; but it was not till past8h p. m. that any sus-
picious movement was noticed near us: then,
however, a continually increasing rush was heard,
which at 10b 45 m r. m. came on with a heavy

CHAP. V.] ANOTHER HUSH. #79

roar towards the larboard quarter, upturning in
its progress and rolling onward with it an im-
mense wall of ice. This advanced so fast, that
though all hands were immediately called, they
had barely time, with the greatest exertion, to
extricate three of the boats, one of them, in fact,
being hoisted up when only a few feet from the
crest of the solid wave, which held a steady
course directly for the quarter, almost overtopping
it, and continuing to elevate itself until about
twenty-five feet high. A piece had just reached
the rudder slung athwart the stern, and at the
moment, when, to all appearances, both that and
a portion at least of the frame work were ex-
pected to be staved in and buried beneath the
ruins, the motion ceased ; at the same time the
crest of the nearest part of the wave toppled over,
leaving a deep wall extending from thence be-
yond the quarter. The effect of the whole was
a leak in the extreme run, oozing, as far as could
be ascertained, from somewhere about the stern-
post. It ran in along the lining like a rill for
about half an hour, when it stopped, probably
closed by a counter pressure. The other leaks
could be kept under by the incessant use of one
pump.

Our intervals of repose were now very short ;
for at 12h 50m a.m., March 1 6th, another rush
drove irresistibly on the larboard quarter andsternr

t 4

280 THE CRISIS. [CHAP.V.

and forcing the ship ahead raised her up on the
ice. A chaotic ruin followed ; our poor and
cherished court yard, its wall and arched doors,
gallery, and well-trodden paths, were rent, and
in some parts ploughed up like dust. The ship
was careened fully four streaks, and sprung a
leak as before. Scarcely were ten minutes left us
for the expression of our astonishment that any
thing of human build could outlive such assaults,
when at lh a. m. another equally violent rush
succeeded ; and in its way towards the star-
board quarter threw up a rolling wave thirty
feet high, crowned by a blue square mass
of many tons, resembling the entire side of a
house, which, after hanging for some time in
doubtful poise on the ridge, at length fell with a
crash into the hollow, in which, as in a cavern,
the after part of the ship seemed imbedded. It
was indeed an awful crisis, rendered more fright-
ful from the mistiness of the night and dimness
of the moon. The poor ship cracked and trem-
bled violently ; and no one could say that the
next minute would not be her last and, indeed,
his own too, for with her our means of safety
would probably perish. The leak continued,
and again (most likely as before, from counter-
pressure) the principal one closed up. When all
this was over, and there seemed to be a chance
of a respite, I ordered a double allowance of pre-

CHAP. V.] COMMOTION SUBSIDES. 281

served meat, &c. to be issued to the crew, whose
long exposure to the cold rendered some extra
stimulant necessary. Until 4h a. m. the rushes
still kept coming from different directions, but
fortunately with diminished force. From that
hour to 8h a. m. every thing was still and the ice
quite stationary, somewhat to the westward of
the singular point, terminating as it were in a
knob, which was the farthest eastern extreme
yesterday. We certainly were not more than
three miles from the barren and irregular land
abeam, which received the name of Point Terror.
To this was attached a rugged shelf of what for
the time might be called shore ice, having at its
seaward face a mural ridge of unequal, though
in many parts, imposing height, certainly not
less than from fifty to sixty feet. Such had been
the diminution of our nucleus, that the ship
was now within four hundred yards of the water
line of demarcation between the floe and the
land ice.

I was naturally anxious to ascertain as far as
possible the amount of damage received; and, on
inspecting the outside of the ship with the first
Lieutenant and carpenter, we saw that the fore-foot
was completely exposed, the ship having been
literally lifted up on the surface of the same ice,
which had formerly, as I have said, imbedded her
up to the flukes of the anchors. How far she was

282 CREW IN COUNCIL. [cHAP.V.

from the water's edge could not be ascertained,
though it was seen from the marks, that she was
heaved up seven feet abaft, whilst on deck the
ascent in walking forward was considerable.
The larboard side was found to be flattened and
indented in such a manner, as to make it proba-
ble some injury had been sustained about the
timbers near the line of flotation, in a direction
six or eight feet from the main channels forward,
and the quarter on the same side was bolstered
up as high as the tafrail by one of the largest
floe pieces, which pressed severely on one of
her weakest points. These appearances with
the facts of the damaged stern post and the
leaks, raised a doubt in my mind, how far the
ship might be trustworthy when the ice should
slacken off sufficiently to let her down to her
bearings ; and, though every precaution had been
adopted with respect to the provision, &c. on
deck, which was ready to be thrown on the ice
upon any sudden emergency, and other prepara-
tions had been made for the worst ; yet, when
instead of the ice remaining, as we had fer-
vently hoped, stationary, it began again to move
in a body to the eastward, and there was every
reason to expect during the night a similar visi-
tation to that of yesterday ; I thought it my
duty to collect the opinions of the officers, the
ice mate, and some of the leading men, who had

CHAP. V.] THEIR OPINIONS. 283

had much experience among ice. They agreed
that a light boat with provisions should, if possible,
be landed, to serve as a last resource to com-
municate with the Hudson's Bay Company's
Factory, in the event of the loss of the ship.
Other opinions were also given, creditable
to the good sense and firmness of those who
uttered them ; and as the greater part of them
coincided with my own, I felt more comforted
and assured. All that could be done immediately,
was to get on deck some more sails, with flour
and other provisions, and one of the cutters
having been removed to a firmer piece of ice,
the two whale boats were again hoisted up for
greater security. In the meantime we were ra-
pidly setting to the eastward, and by noon had
passed the point, and opened another line of
higher and more hilly coast, with ranges above
and bevond the land forming the beach. The
crew were now put on full allowance of provision.
The weather continued misty, with abundance
of small snow : the top of the highest land in
sight was S. 63° W. ; latitude 6i° 4' ; wind N.
W. by W., fresh at times ; barometer, 2Q. 25,
thermometer 12°—.

During the remainder of the day there was
some disturbance, not very material, and in
the evening we appeared to be crossing a bay
and nearing higher land ahead. During the

284 st. Patrick's day. [chap. v.

night rushing noises were occasionally heard
astern and to the north, and though these once
or twice intimated their approach by some sus-
picious sharp cracks, yet we reached the morn-
ing of the 17th without serious molestation.
The wind then came all at once from S. E. by S.
nearly ahead, bringing with it a load of vapoury
mist, small snow and drift. The land was not
visible, but it was evident we had got much
nearer to the edge of tidal ice ; for several well-
marked hummocks, which had been our com-
panions for months and weathered out every
gale, had in the comparative stillness of last
night disappeared altogether, taking with them
very liberal portions of the surrounding ice.
The wind had the effect of setting us slowly
to the westward, and though it gradually
drew ahead, yet there was no squeezing of the
ice, and St. Patrick's day was one of compa-
rative enjoyment ; nor in the midst of our own
disasters did we forget to wish all prosperity to
the " Gem of the Sea." The only drawback
was the incessant clanging of the pump, which
was still found indispensable to keep the ship
clear from water. Meantime there was no
lack of employment, especially on the outside,
where a large party with pickaxes, ice chisels
and shovels were fast reducing the bulk of the
towering wave that propped up the stern. To-

CHAP, v.] COAST. 285

wards evening a lane of water opened not far
from us towards the shore, which, however, soon
closed, and the night set in beautifully clear and
tranquil.

At daylight of the 18th the coast line was dis-
tinctly traced from S.E. by E. \ E. to W. by N.,
the nearest land abeam being about four or five
miles distant. The character of the country was
now shelving, with hills of moderate altitude ; on
the regular and apparently even summits of which
were isolated cones, and other steep and rounded
hills, totally covered with snow. Extending to
the eastward the appearances were similar ; only,
that over a point, and something to the south of
it, was a distant range of high mountainous land,
answering the description of that about Seahorse
Point, from which we were now not thirty miles
distant. We experienced, moreover, that pecu-
liarly keen cold against our faces, known by the
term of the " barber," which must have come
from the eastward, as the lane of water was all
but closed. At 7h a. m. a slight rushing noise
was heard to seaward, and more faintly alongside.
The ice was then setting slowly to the westward,
and about llh 10m a.m. a second weak rush just
reached us, and the motion stopped. At 2h 30m
p. m. the ice began to set slowly to the eastward,
and from its closeness to the wall made a low
grinding noise. For the rest of the day it con-

286 CALM WEATHER. [CHAP.V.

tin lied quiet; but the wind being very light from
the westward, a faint disturbance was heard in
the first watch, supposed to arise from an attempt
of the ice to open a little.

March 19th. The same sounds, but more
distinct, were audible more or less frequently
until the forenoon, and sometimes they were
accompanied by rushes that set every one on the
alert. Indeed, on looking minutely round, a
few fresh cracks were discovered, and we were
obviously much nearer to the tidal lane, or
rather wall, the interval between the two bodies
of ice not exceeding two feet, though how this
had happened we were somewhat puzzled to
understand. There was much frost smoke rising
from small cracks around, which rendered the
land rather indistinct. After 8h a. m. we drifted
west again, with rather an accelerated motion.
Divine service w7as not omitted, and at noon the
weather was fine but cold, out of the sun, the
thermometer in the shade being 20°—. At
lh 30m p. m. the ice commenced setting to the
eastward, the wind then being light from the
land. Soon after 4h there was a small lane or
opening between the ship and the wall ; and
about the same time a great noise was heard in
the direction of the starboard bow. Every
thing was again quiet by midnight, when the
wind veered to the south.

CHAP. V.] ICE SETS EASTWARD. 287

March 20th. As the tide changed a grinding
sound was produced along the mural edge, and
at broad daylight, though there was a very hazy
atmosphere, occasioned by the frost smoke, we
could see that there was a lane of icy water half
a mile broad, separating the sea from the land
ice, and that it extended in a direction north-
west and south-east as far as the eye could reach.
A little past 7h a. m., when the tide made to the
westward, it grew narrower ; and, on a nearer
inspection, we found we were getting continually
closer, in consequence of pieces streaming off at
our boundary. On the other hand, the surface
of the water became immediately covered with
young ice, infinitely too thick to move a ship
through. The people were employed in clear-
ing away the higher portions of ice thrown up
alongside to starboard, as well as in stopping a
leak over my cabin. At lh 15m p. m. the ice set
to the eastward, and during the latter part of th'e
day the bay ice increased very fast, from whence
it was concluded that we were driving further off
the land, which the density of the frost smoke
concealed from view.

March 21st. Many had been the forebodings
of what was to be expected from the coincidence
of the full moon with the equinoctial day ; yet
nothing more had occurred than a freshening
breeze from S. by W., which drove us easily off,

288 PLEASANT TEMPERATURE. [CHAP.V.

or backwards and forwards, along the coast.
The latter was still obscured by frost smoke,
which rose in dense clouds from the ever-shift-
ing black lanes of water, instantly converted, on
the least cessation from action, into firm bay ice.
The sensation was that of intense cold, when ex-
posed to the breeze charged with frozen vapour,
but the temperature was not only bearable, but
even pleasant, when under the lee of ice, and open
to the warmth of the sun. Our cutters were still
on the floe pieces, for the ship remained precisely
in the position into which she had been thrown
on the night of the 15th, and one pump was
quite equal to keep her dry; but as it was uncer-
tain when she might come upright by the easing
away of the ice which bound and poised her up,
I had every thing in readiness to hoist them to
the davits, and to set additional pumps at work
without a moment's delay. About 10h a. m. a
glimpse was caught of the land ; but as only the
lower part was discernible, the precise whereabouts
could not be determined. Neither holes nor
vapour were seen to the north-east. At noon, it
could not be ascertained in which direction the
ice was setting, so great was the haze. The
barometer had risen to the height of 30. 58.
Wind south, moderate. Thermometer 10° — ,
and in the sun 11°-|-.

This was the day for the examination of the

CHAP. V.] HEALTH. 289

crew ; and I was much gratified to learn from
Doctor Donovan's report that, with the excep-
tion of the three on the sick list, who were
themselves improving, the rest were in a fair
state of health, notwithstanding the lameness
which still, though without pain, oppressed some
of them. To occupy the crew they were de-
sired to remove the mounds and other irregular
heaps of ice round the ship, and to dig down
below the bows. The forefoot being thus par-
tially cleared was found to be much worn away,
and judging from the state of the bolts, was
considered to have received considerable injury.
The ice which imbedded the starboard bow was,
therefore, quickly cleared away ; and on a nearer
inspection, the carpenter recommended cutting
away the protruding part of one bolt to prevent its
catching against the ice, and at the same time
suggested the propriety of placing some iron
plates over that portion of the injured part which
was out of the water. By evening this was
accomplished ; two more plates, three feet four
inches long, and nine inches wide, being secured
with eighteen iron deck spike nails on the fore-
foot, immediately beneath the iron sheathing of
the bow, which was all that, under existing cir-
cumstances, could be done. The keel could be
just felt at the length of an extended saw under
water ; and the carpenter was always of opinion

u

290 SQUALLS. [CHAP.V.

that it had received little or no damage. There
was a great deal of frost smoke between us and
the land, and up to midnight all was tranquil.

March 22d. At daylight we seemed from
the bearing of a known hill, to have been set
off and rather along the shore to the eastward.
As before, only black lines of open water ap-
peared to windward, though the extent of bay
ice was evidently greater, and certainly at the
nearest part, not more than four or five hundred
yards from the ship, which, however, fortunately
continued fixed in the same position. During
the forenoon we drifted westerly, and again in the
afternoon slowly to the eastward ; the conical
hill at 3h 30ra, bearing S. 31° W. About 8h p. m.
the wind gradually drew more to the east, and
began to blow fresh in squalls with every appear-
ance of a gale ; but subsequently, March 23d,
settled at south-east, and moderated. The ice had
again set to the westward, with no other altera-
tion than that of causing several lanes in the bay
ice. Up to noon, all was quiet. The weather to-
day was warm enough, with the thermometer at
10° + in the shade, and 32° + in the sun, even to be
oppressive ; the blackened thermometer was as
high as 39°+ • In walking to the bay ice, some
of the officers saw the fresh track of a bear not
very far from the ship. We had drifted so much
off shore, and in the afternoon more particularly,

CHAP. V.] LUNAR HALO. £0,1

had gone so far to the north west, that at4h p. m.
the blue bluff seen on the 11th, was in sight, and
the fact of an opening between it and the nearest
land of Point M'Clure, being now evident, it was
called Gore Island. The high hills too, which
were noted about the same time, were equally
visible, and proved to be the same, the principal
of which we had hitherto been calling the Conical
Hill, but now distinguished by the name of
Mount Minto, after the first Lord of the Ad-
miralty, and which every one had considered to
be quite distinct from those that had been passed.
At our first station two rather deep bays were
clearly made out, with low land to seaward, and
here the low land was somewhat nearer to us
than the high ; so that, although it was impossible
to discern whether there was any ice between the
two, I am not certain that the former may not
be islands stretching out from the latter. As
night drew on the wind got round to the N. E.,
by which means the pack that inclosed the ship
became detached in one or two places from the
more seaward body, causing a lane of water to
appear. On the other hand, we commenced
going eastward, slantingly towards the shore.

March 24th. There was a prismatic lunar halo
with paraselenae. In the morning we were more
to the eastward, but began to retrograde at 10h.
By noon we had drawn closer to the land, and

u 2

292 SUSPICIOUS CRACKINGS. [CIIAP.V.

were evidently ploughing up the intervening bay
ice. About 7h 30m p. m. a slight noise was heard
on both quarters, the wind then having got more
to the westward, from which however it sub-
sequently changed to N. E. with light snow.
A faint glimpse was caught of the aurora in the
same quarter. March 25th the body of ice again
moved easterly, and at daylight, some suspicious
cracking was audible to seaward ; while the wide
lane of bay ice, which had intervened between
our pack and that fixed to the shore, was now
diminished to three hundred yards of squeezed
up pieces, which, for the present, served as a
fender against the wall along shore. The weather
was too thick to make out objects distinctly ; but
from the appearance of the nearest land, we
seemed to have almost reached the place from
which we were blown off when the southerly
wind came. A crack in one of the remaining
large pieces was detected during the forenoon ;
and, in the early part of the afternoon, the ice to
seaward of the crack on the quarter began to
open out a little, allowing us to get soundings,
which were found in sixty-four fathoms, on a bot-
tom of gravel, consisting of grey granite and small
particles of limestone. The snow which fell a
few hours afterwards, was of a soft and flaky kind,
different from any we had seen since the autumn,
and betokening, as we hoped, a southerly wind.

CHAP. V*] SNOW. 293

In the evening two more narrow openings were
observed ; the one about a hundred paces from
the larboard bow, which it crossed, joining the
principal lane along shore ; the other a little
farther astern, stretching out to the N. N. E.,
where it ran into the one on the quarter. These
separations were the more remarkable, as the
wind latterly had been from the north and east,
and might have been expected, therefore, to bind
the ice against the shore. However, as we were at
no great distance from Hudson's Straits, the ice
east of our position might have streamed away into
that opening, leaving the body behind it more
space for motion. The room thus made caused no
parting of the heavy pieces, between which the
ship was lifted up, and notwithstanding a grinding
noise heard from the north, we did not alter our
position in the least.

March 26th. Small snow continued to fall
throughout the night ; and although when morn-
ing came it was too thick to see the land, it was
evident we were setting to the eastward. There
was an opinion that less water found its way into
the ship, but on ceasing to use the pump for
forty-five minutes it was found that twelve inches
had accumulated. The men, however, were not
kept so constantly at work as before, so that
either the leak was reduced, or they contrived
to throw more water out in a given time. About

u 3

294 MISTS. [CHAP.V.

noon soundings were obtained in ninety-four
fathoms, with a bottom of green mud, which im-
plied a change of situation ; still the weather
was so misty from small snow incessantly falling,
that no land could be made out. The narrow
lanes closed quietly. The temperature was 20° +
at the north, and 29° + facing the south. About
4h p. m. the land was in sight from S. E. by S. to
N. W., distant at the nearest part about three
miles. Nothing occurred during the night,
beyond a slight rumbling of the ice to the east
about the turn of the tide.

March 27th. The weather was tolerably fine,
though misty from the same cause as before.
The land was barely visible. We were now
separated only by a narrow breadth of bay ice
from the tidal wall, which was ground perfectly
smooth, curving very gently to a distant point ;
and, on looking carefully at the shore ice, we
were delighted to observe the surface much
clearer and more free from points and inequalities.
There certainly could not have been the same
sort of grinding and confusion here, as we had
so lamentably experienced to the north-west.

When Mount Minto bore S. S. W. |W., sound-
ings were found in one hundred and twenty
fathoms, the ground being yellow mud, with
small pebbles of felspar. A single raven flew
round the ship, and again made for the land

CHAP. V.] LANE AHEAD. 2Q«5

whence it had come. Sunday afternoon, the
breeze veered a little to the south ; and as we
set westward, the seaward body of ice drew off,
so as to leave a perceptible channel within us.
In the evening the weather became suddenly
overcast ; and the wind drawing round to the
south, came first in gusts, then in heavy squalls,
which, with the intelligence that a lane had opened
ahead, made me apprehensive of some sudden
change. The boats and stores, therefore, on either
floe were frequently visited, and scouts were sent
to examine the cracks that on other occasions had
been known to open. At this time, however,
they were closed. It may be here mentioned,
that as soon as the gale had fairly set in the
barometer began to rise very rapidly, that is to
say, with a southerly ivind, in the same way that
it had often previously done with a northerly one.
It varied in the ascending scale considerably in
a few hours, and still continued to rise; never-
theless, the gale blew with much violence
througho^1* the night, at the same time lowering
the temperature.

March 28th. The ship cracked so as to induce
an idea that she was easing down ; but, in all
probability, it was merely the effect of the gale
coming full on her uplifted bulk, and causing her
to shake at every squall. However, at break of
day our inclination was precisely the same, though

u 4

296 RE-STOWING. [CHAP.V.

we were farther away from the land — a change
which the proximity of the two icy boundaries
yesterday had taught us to appreciate. There
was still a mist hanging over objects in that
direction ; but a dark gleam of water was
visible, forming a part of the lane now much
encumbered with old pieces of ice, that must
have been detached from larger masses to the
eastward. To seaward was still one unbroken
body. In the forenoon the sky became clear, the
wind having shifted to S. E. A few wTell-defined
clouds were remarked upon as a sight which had
not for a long time been observed. Our decks
were naturally much lumbered from the store
of provisions which I considered it still ne-
cessary to keep there ; but as the small snow
which constantly fell was found to injure them,
and particularly the bread, the whole was now
restowed, and covered well over writh sails.
As night drew on the wind again got round to
the N. E., and at intervals came in heavy squalls
which drove the ship fast towards the land.

March 29th. The weather became more
threatening ; and in a short time a cracking
noise was heard to windward, accompanied by a
grinding sound among the bay ice just within us.
At 5h a. m. the narrow lane about forty paces
astern suddenly opened from fifteen to twenty
feet, again partially closing a few hours after.

CHAP. V.] ICE FLUCTUATES. #97

The ship creaked more than usual from the force
of the breeze, indeed so much that it was thought
possible we might have set against the land ice ;
and in truth, when daylight came, we were closer
to the shore itself than at any other period. But
the most extraordinary fact was, the great dis-
tance that the ice had drifted, with the wind
abeam, to the westward ; for we now found our-
selves, much against our wish, in the precise
spot where we had been so roughly treated on
the night of the L5th. For a considerable in-
terval the ice remained motionless, so far as the
tide was concerned ; though on going to sound,
which was done in sixty fathoms, the loose youno-
ice was observed to rise and fall between the
edges of the larger pieces as it would have done
in a sea or swell. Afterwards for two hours and
a half, the entire body set very slowly to the
eastward, and then stopped. The wind was
N. N. E., and blew fresh in squalls : thermo-
meter 16° +, and in the sun 22° + . The next
twenty-four hours nothing occurred worthy of
notice ; and at noon of March 30th, the onlv
alteration near the ship was in the lanes ahead
and on the larboard quarter, which presented a
considerably larger open surface. It was remarked
that as one edge receded from the other, calves
and smaller pieces of old yellow ice emerged
from beneath into the temporary free space.

298 DOVEKIES. [CHAP.V.

Our acquaintances, the ravens, paid us daily
visits, and sometimes perched on the pinnacle of
the most elevated hummock, apparently watching
the movements of those on board. We explored
the surface of the lanes for seals or other ani-
mals, but in vain, until a couple of curiously
speckled dovekies appeared playing about,
though, from whence, no one could tell. A
wish was expressed to shoot them, to which I —
whom their lively motions and seeming enjoy-
ment amused and gratified — was unwilling to
accede. The mottled plumage, however, was
too great a temptation, and finally one of the offi-
cers set off to secure them ; he waited for some
time in ambush gazing at them, and hoping they
would come within shot, till at last wearied and
cold, he was fain to relinquish the attempt. In
the evening much snow fell, and two fresh holes
of water appeared on the starboard quarter with-
in a short distance of the ship.

March 31st. The ice remained perfectly tran-
quil round the ship, though daylight showed a
greater difference than had been noticed for a
long time. There were several lanes of open
water immediately surrounding our pack, while
near the same places, but to seaward, were
holes and openings in various directions ; most
of them at right angles to the land. In
addition to these, some of the waves of ice had

CHAP. V.] SEAL. 299

eased down ; and to our no small astonishment,
in one instance, no sooner had the ponderous
mass fallen into the opening space, than a seal
started up from beneath, in evident alarm.
Up to noon, the wind being moderate from the
westward, the ice moved a little in the opposite
direction. Soundings were obtained in fifty-six
fathoms, having a hard bottom. The weather
was always thick : thermometer 12°+ and 13°+;
barometer 30. 31. All continued tranquil; and
as the western tide made, the ice closed about the
lanes, &c. turning our pack, and, consequently,
the ship's head about three points more to the
south.

April 1st. The wind came from E. N. E., and
about 5h a. m. the ship's head was veered more to
the west, almost dead on for the land ; the ice
then moving slowly to the westward. The
change in the weather was such as to thaw the
snow on the sails and housing, from which
we beheld the novel sight of water dripping and
running along the decks. And although there
was not the least alteration in the uncomfortable
position of the ship, yet it was gratifying to ob-
serve the pump less constantly in action, and
still more enlivening to behold the people clear-
ing the wet deck and removing the accumulated
rubbish of a winter's gathering. At 2h p. m. the
temperature in the sun was 35° + , and 29° 5 +in

300 MILD WEATHER. [CHAP.V.

the shade ; and, such was the effect of the transi-
tion, that large well trodden cakes of ice adher-
ing to the anchors and round the bows, which
a week before would have remained firm under
the blows of a sledge hammer, now peeled off
with little effort, enabling us entirely to clear the
upper works. The breeze increased to a gale
during the night, and at one time a faint aurora
was visible in the N. W.

During the 2d of April we were set rather
to the west tinder the influence of the easterly
wind. In the night the wind veered to N.N.E.,
and on the 3d, a slight commotion was heard
to windward, but without result. At daylight
several small holes of water were seen, and there
was a manifest diminution in the height of some
of the waves and mounds, though in other
respects the ice was perfectly close. The
weather continued overcast, though the tempera-
ture was 25° + and even 30 on the south side.
A slight difference was perceptible on the hills
from the effect of the mild weather.

The season was now rapidly advancing, and
under different circumstances I should have
commenced making the necessary preparations
for more active employment. As it was, although
the ship remained cradled precisely as before,
it was deemed prudent to caulk where there
was no strain from external pressure. Accord-

CHAP. V.] CAULKING. 301

ingly, the carpenters were set to work in
board, and some slight leaks on the quarter were
stopped. The largest unbroken remnant of
our former floe, which lay between us and the
shore on the starboard side, as yet had borne
every encounter ; but at 4h p. m. to-day, with-
out visible cause adequate to such an effect, it
split in two, and the parts opened out about
eighteen inches. The crack ran close to the
cutter, which, together with the stores, was
quickly removed nearer the ship.

On the following day, 4th April, the medi-
cal officer following up the system acted on
throughout the past winter, carefully inspected
the whole crew ; and with the exception of two
men, before spoken of as still labouring under
scorbutic symptoms, they were reported free from
positive illness and rapidly improving in appear-
ance. In fact, the mild weather, though still gen-
erally below the freezing point, had produced a
visible alteration for the better in all of us, This
was the night of the new moon ; and, rendered wary
from the past, we could not entirely divest our-
selves of every anxiety, though there was nothing
immediately prognosticating further change.
However, on the next day, April 5th, all was tran-
quil, and from daylight to 8h a. m. the ship was
carried something more to the east than before,
but the ice obeying the returning tide soon

302 SOUNDINGS. [CHAP.V.

retrograded. Much light snow had fallen ; and
for a short interval when the sun had power to
dart its rays through the misty atmosphere, it
melted at once, so that water was to be seen
lodged in the hollows of the boats' coverings.
Soundings were found in one hundred and thirty
fathoms. By 7h p. m. we had passed two fresh
barriers thrown up on the mural edge of the
land ice, and at 8h we were stationary, having
been set considerably farther to the eastward
than at any former period since last August.

April 6th. All was still quiet ; and when day
broke, it was seen that we had gained more
ground to the eastward, being apparently drifted
along the tidal edge of the land ice, which here-
abouts was smoother than that more to the west.
Unfortunately the land was obscured by a mist,
but, from the faintness of the receding outline,
it appeared to form a curved bay, across which
we were setting to and fro with the variations
of the tide. In the evening we had neared
some high land ; and at llh 30m a. m. soundings
were obtained in twenty-seven fathoms, which
were the least we had yet found. At noon the
weather continued misty, but a point of land
bore S. 24° E., and a black mark on a distant
hill N. 79° E. Wind N. by E., moderate. The
sun shortly broke through, and partly dispersing
the mist, showed us actually within a mile from

14

CHAP. V.] CURRENT OF ICE. 303

the beach, where numerous huge fragments of
dilapidated floes were strewed about in con-
fusion. They occupied the space lying between
the tidal edge and the land, and did not appear
to have been of recent production. The density
of the atmosphere had deceived us in other
respects also ; for that which, from its white
smooth glare, had been set down for land ice,
now turned out to be the even shelving side of
the snow-clad coast. After 5h p. m. a lane of
water opened out on the larboard bow of the
ship, and this seemed to be the beginning of a
general movement immediately around us ; for
soon after, the ice in every direction was evidently
easing down from those formidable ramparts into
which it had been thrown, and settling into a
freer space. We were at the time crossing the
bend of a bay, and it was observed that the ice
was set by the tide and current in a circle, as if
within the influence of an eddy ; but as this,
from the straight line of bearing of the southern
land, was scarcely probable, the effect may have
been produced by the meeting of counter cur-
rents from the north and south. Be the cause,
however, what it might, we were in momentary
expectation of seeing the two remaining floe
pieces on which we were partly poised, separate,
so as to allow the ship to settle into the water ;
especially, when the outer portion of the cracked

304- PROSPECTS. [CHAP.V.

floe, on the starboard side, suddenly parted
from its better half, and glided mysteriously
away among the still rugged but looser fragments
near. But when our favourite look-out, which
we had jestingly denominated Mount Pleasant,
the faithful companion of our wanderings from
Cape Bylot to this spot, staunch and unshaken
amidst the crash and ruin which had surrounded
it ; when this, too, departed, and became lost
and indistinguishable amongst other peaks and
hummocks, what could we look for but an utter
dissolution of all the parts of our system ? In
spite, however, of all these defections, in spite of
upper or under current, spring or neap tide, for
the present we remained firm as a rock ; the only
alteration being, that the direction of the ship's
head was exactly reversed, having been turned
round from the south to N.W. by W., in much
the same manner as had been the case last
autumn at the western end of the island. All
these things plainly demonstrated that the eastern
ice was gradually drifting through Hudson's
Straits into the Atlantic, and making way for
our liberation ; which I still sanguinely hoped
would take place, so as to enable me to carry
into effect some of the objects of the expe-
dition. A narwhal was supposed to have been
seen in one of the adjoining lanes, and was
described as being spotted, like those seen last

CHAP. V. 3 PARHELION. 305

year. During the night there was repeated
noise among the ice ; but as it was rather that of
easing down than the harsh grating of pressure,
it did not much affect us. Twice we sounded
in thirty fathoms, and about two miles off shore
in twenty- two fathoms, the bottom being com-
posed of rock, shells, and mud.

Daylight of the 7th showed that we had
already gone and were still going rapidly to the
south-east, along a hilly coast, apparently con-
sisting of barren rocks with precipitous cliffs,
based upon a low shelving slope, which passed
imperceptibly into the shore ice ; both being
covered with snow, and only distinguishable, in
some places near the margin, by the black tops
of protruding rocks. Here, then, was a totally
different formation from the smooth and rounded
low tract lately passed, and answered better to
the land about Seahorse Point.

There was a beautiful parhelion for a short
time, while a W. S. W. breeze was blowing:
about a great quantity of small snow, but it soon
disappeared. At noon the coast was distinctly
seen from S. E. £ S. to Mount Minto at W. ^ N.,
terminating at the furthest east abruptly in a
bluff point. There was another bluff something
nearer to us. In the afternoon lanes of water
opened out between us and the shore ; but as
the wind blew very fresh off the land, it only

x

306 sir j. Gordon's bay. [chap. v.

bound us the more against the sea ice. As he
tide changed, these places soon closed ; and
again at daylight, April 8th, opened much
wider than before. We drifted past the high
point, which was then ascertained to be the
north-western extremity of a fine open bay,
called after Sir James Gordon ; which making a
sweep of about two miles, with a radius from
three quarters to one mile, formed a second
point, and thence stretched to the farthest land
in sight. Much frost smoke was rising from the
open water beyond this land ; and in conse-
quence of the mist it caused, we were unable to
make out satisfactorily whether two comparatively
low spots were continuous with the main coast,
or islands off it. One fact, however, was beyond
question, viz. that the land ended there ; and that
the boundary, therefore, must be Sea Horse Point.
Could the ship have been once freed from
her icy fetters, I should soon have set the mat-
ter at rest ; since the fresh gale of the night,
combined with a favourable juncture of tide, had
so marvellously dispersed the inner, and indeed
some of the outer ice, that there was no other
impediment sufficient to have prevented our
getting entirely round it. As it was, I had no
choice but to remain quiet until nature should
set us free ; satisfied for the present if I could
purchase exemption from nipping. Every day,

CHAP. V.] INVALIDS. 307

however, the sun had more power, and another
month or six weeks might effect much. My
object was to try the Welcome.

A wind coming from the land at west, chilled us
all; but the thermometer did not fall below 10° — :
and as the wind veered more to the north it speedily
rose again. A couple of large seals were seen,
but neither fish nor birds, notwithstanding the
expanse of water along the coast. At noon there
were soundings in fifty-eight fathoms, by which
time there was scarcely any water to be seen,
and the ship had considerably neared the land,
being not more than two miles off. Though, as
I before observed, our invalids generally con-
tinued to improve, yet some of the number
could not yet conquer the obstinate rigidity of
the muscles of the leg. Of the two who re-
mained still on the list, Alexander Young (who
was also the person first affected) was now in so
low a state as to make his recovery extremely
doubtful — much to the regret of us all ; for his
happy disposition and steady conduct as gun-
room steward had made him a favourite with
the officers, who left nothing undone to minister
to his comfort. Every thing on board favoured
the health of the crew ; for, since the adoption
of the funnels for carrying away the vapour, and
still more within the last ten days, during which
the hatchways and fore scuttle had been thrown

x 2

308 RUSH OF ICE. [CHAP.V.

open in the day-time, our lower deck had been
perfectly dry and pure. Until 8h the ice was
quiet ; but about, that time, there being a light
wind blowing from the north, a low grinding was
heard at the outer edge of the outer floe-piece,
and soon after, the two or three holes of water
in that quarter closed up. The commotion was
followed at 10h p. m. by a heavy rush of the
seaward ice against the same piece, on which it
not only made encroachments, but shook it
throughout its whole dimensions so as to intimate
the effect on board by the short cracking of the
after part of the ship. Ultimately a barrier was
thrown up about eighteen feet high. It became
prudent, therefore, to secure the provisions and
stores, which were alongside the cutters, and to
have the latter in readiness to hoist up ; since,
notwithstanding the immense masses still appear-
ing in every direction, there was not another piece
proper to receive them. Nothing further occurred
at that time ; but when daylight came, on April 9th,
the starboard floe-piece was found to be cracked
in several parts. At 5h a. m. the ice was setting
to the east, and the temperature had fallen
to 26°—. However, at 8h it had risen to 10° + .
Shortly afterwards the seaward ice became
agitated, and ground so suspiciously against our
diminishing territory, that it was considered
prudent to hoist up both the cutters. In the

CHAP. V.] AGITATION CONTINUES. 309

interim we continued to drift east, and being
almost across Sir J. Gordon's Bay were unques-
tionably farther in that direction than at any time
before. With the turn of the tide the direction
of the drift changed as usual, and until 4h p. m.
we were setting rapidly to the west.

April 10th. It was too obscure to see what was
going on ; but at 4h 50m the wind had got to the
northward, and the ice commenced setting to the
east. The breeze increased rather more than was
desirable, and the ice being extremely close packed
began about 8h a. m. to make a grinding noise.
This soon became louder as larger masses were
thrown up ; and looking towards the tidal edge
of the shore ice, we observed an immense piece,
many tons in weight, forced up vertically to
a height of between twenty and thirty feet.
Scarcely had we had time to remark this, when a
heavy rush of the seaward ice from the windward
called our attention to the opposite side ; and,
after watching many piled-up mounds tumbling
with a rattle on our starboard floe-piece, we were
greatly surprised at seeing the latter slowly
assume a convex form, and, after gradually
attaining a moderate elevation, splinter into
fragments, one-third of the' original piece
breaking off and sailing heavily away to the
eastward. While this was going on, a similar
inroad was made in a line towards the starboard

x 3

310 PERIL OF TWO SAILORS. [CHAP.V.

bow, and matters were beginning to wear a
serious aspect, when, in an instant, the noise
was hushed. The whole body, the weight of
which, greatly augmented by the breeze, we
had to bear our part in sustaining, was brought
up by the curve of coast where wt were em-
bayed. Indeed it could not be otherwise ; for
any wind coming from between N.W. by W.
and N.N.E., must of necessity drive the entire
body of northern ice to this its only place of
egress into the Atlantic. While the turmoil
was going on, two of the men carelessly loitering
about soon found themselves separated from us,
and it required some activity in scrambling over
the moving mounds before they succeeded in
reaching the ship. The wind blew fresh and
keen from N. by W., the temperature being
at 0°, though 23° + in the sun.

The carpenters now commenced caulking
wherever they could outside the ship. At 7hP. m.
a slight noise was heard among the ice about a
mile to the westward of the ship, which, for the
succeeding two hours, drove fast towards the
straits ; but as the tide grew weaker the onward
motion of the ice was of course checked, while the
breeze urged the whole western body with irresis-
tible force against it ; the effect of which was, that
at 9h p.m., while we were making the curve of a
bay, our rloe-pieces were suddenly assailed by a

CHAP. V.] DREADFUL COMMOTION. 311

powerful rush of the seaward ice, which, thrust-
ing us close to the tidal wall so as to cause
almost a dead pressure, began to grind and
plough up the edges on every side. Fre-
quently during the process there were brief
intervals of cessation in one part or another,
followed by a quick repetition, in a direction
perhaps exactly opposite. Again, there would
be a general pause, not unlike the silence which
succeeds a heavy crash of thunder ; but sud-
denly, when hope was beginning to whisper
that all was over, on it came again with a burst
of deafening roar, destroying every thing in
its furious course. Wherever our eyes were
turned they were met by rising waves of ice
rolling their burdens towards the ship. One in
particular, not more than thirty paces away, had
reared itself at least thirty feet on our inner
floe-piece, which, strong as it was, gave way
under the accumulated weight j and a mass of
several tons being thus upturned and added to
the original bulk, the whole bore down slowly
upon our quarter. The ship herself was high
out of the water on the ice, but this over-
topped her like a tower. Meantime we were
getting nearer and nearer to the land ice : large
rents were showing themselves in the ice, at
right angles, on each side of the fore chains : the
ship unable to right herself began to complain,

x 4

312 IMMINENT PERIL. [CHAP.V.

and the scene every moment became more dark
and threatening. Extra purchases were fixed
to the pumps ; the hands were turned up ; the
sick provided for ; and though nothing effectual
could be done for our preservation, the attention
of the men was occupied in hoisting two of the
boats higher up. On former occasions there
were large pieces of ice around, any one of
which would have afforded a sufficient deposit
for boats, provisions, or whatever in the exi-
gency of the moment might have been placed
upon it. Now, on the contrary, we were sur-
rounded by crushed and broken ice, some,
indeed, ponderous enough, but all too angular
and fractured to trust a boat upon : nor could we
ourselves have found footing so long as every
part was more or less in motion ; or, even if some
of the more active and hardy had succeeded in
doing so, still they could not possibly have
reached the land. Knowing this, and feeling
acutely for the many beings entrusted to my
charge, it may be conceived with what intense
anxiety I listened to the crashing and grinding
around. The strength of the ship, tried and
shaken as it had already been, could hardly be
expected to withstand the overwhelming power
opposed to it ; and, what the result of that night
might have been it is impossible to say and
painful to contemplate, had not an overruling

CHAP. V.] TUMULT ARRESTED. 313

Providence mercifully averted the crisis, by sud-
denly, and at the moment of greatest peril,
arresting the tumult. In less time than it could
be spoken, there was the stillness of death, and
we were saved! The watch was called, the
crew dismissed ; and I trust that none that
night laid his head on his pillow without offering
up a devout thanksgiving for the mercy which
had been vouchsafed him.

April 1 1th. About half an hour after midnight
the wind having veered more to the west, the ice
was observed to slacken out ; and this it continued
to do so rapidly, that at daylight the large wave
and other ramparts of ice on the larboard side had
considerably subsided, and ultimately they dis-
appeared, leaving only some straggling pieces to
mark the scene of so much terrific grandeur.
To seaward no alteration had taken place, and
we had leisure to contemplate the devastation
that a few short hours had brought home to the
very side of the ship. The cracks were wider apart,
and our territory greatly diminished ; we were,
however, further off shore, and at 5h 50ra a. m.
were driving quietly to the east towards the low
point. In our progress a deep bay or, possibly, inlet
was seen, for there might be a passage through
its south-eastern termination, though the land ap-
peared continuous from the crow's-nest, whence
ice was made out on the other or eastern side of

314 ISLANDS. [CHAP.V.

it. The high land which joined it, and along
which we were setting, rounded down to a point,
between which and one or two islands, for we
could not satisfactorily make them out, was
unquestionably an icy channel. Soundings were
found in forty-eight and fifty fathoms, with a
muddy bottom. At noon the ice was stationary.
At 12h 45m the ice began to set slowly to the
westward, and the breeze freshening at the same
time forced it off shore ; so that in a few hours a
lane of water was plainly discovered along the
mural edge of the land ice, while that within
us, and bordering our floe piece, was ' brash,'
such as under favourable circumstances might
have been sailed through. At 6h p. m. we were
going slowly towards the east ; and, being now at
a different angle with the land, thought that there
certainly was a passage through the bay just
mentioned, which had been concealed before by
the overlapping of two projecting points.

At daylight of the 12th we found ourselves
still farther off shore, and the breeze had not
only kept us more than usual to the west, but
had caused several holes of water to open in
different places. There was indeed a continuous
channel in shore for several miles, extending
however, no farther than the point. Beyond,
all was compact ; the necessary consequence of a
leeward situation, such as this would be with the

CHAP.V.] REFLECTIONS. 315

wind blowing slantingly from Hudson's Bay and
the Straits. Considerably to the west, near the
spot where we had passed the last three weeks,
was a dark water sky, and accordingly from the
crow's-nest, water was seen in the direction and
to the extent so pointed out. It seems, therefore,
certain that on this coast the first place where a
channel is to be looked for is along the land,
though probably with some winds not extending
far, unless on favourable occasions, such as the
one experienced in the last autumn, when an un-
hampered vessel might have sailed round the
island. Farther out, whatever the prevailing wind,
a ship must be immovably beset, and dependent
altogether upon the drift of the entire body of
ice : if that take her into clear water, well ; if not,
she must submit to the event. Undoubtedly a
vessel is more secure when beset than when
comparatively at liberty. In the former case, so
long as the ice remains firm, she is exempted
from serious pressure, and tolerably safe; whereas
along the land, every rock, bank, or projecting
point, catches the moving mass, and subjects the
unhappy vessel to all the disastrous effects.
It is in this sudden stoppage, or in nautical
phraseology, ' bringing up,' that all the danger
lies.

April 13th. The wind had veered a little to the

east, and freshened, so that by noon we had been

816 SQUALLS. [CHAI\V.

driven so far to the west, as to bring into sight
land that we scarcely expected, and, in truth, did
not wish to see again from this side of the island.
It was gratifying however to find ourselves much
farther off shore, as well as to behold a greater
portion of the intervening space occupied by
fresh ice, forced in by the wind and tide from the
Straits, which would serve as a barrier to keep
us off from the mural edge, in case a change of
wind should drive us near our former station.
On the next day we found ourselves set still
farther to the westward without other alteration,
but during the afternoon and night the barometer
indicated a change in the weather. Accordingly
at night it blew fresh from N. by E., and on
the 15th the gale increased with squalls and
snow. The slightest change in the direction of
the wind had always an immediate effect on the
ice, and we were set nearer to the land, though
from the mistiness of the atmosphere we could
not say how much. About 9h a. m. the young
ice, formed around, rose up under an easy pres-
sure to the height of a foot upon the edge of our
inner floe, now but forty paces distant from the
ship. This however did not continue long, and
at noon all was quiet, except the fresh breeze
which came stronger after every lull. Snow of
a soft and flaky kind, unlike the glittering
chrystals of the winter months, fell lightly but

CHAP. v.] doctors' report. 317

incessantly, and obscured the land. At 2h p. m.
some of the ice near us became again agitated for
about ten minutes, and then ceased, after which
the breeze gradually diminished in strength,
and towards midnight drew more round to the
east.

April 16th. Every thing was quiet The
weather was overcast, and after divine service,
examining the north thermometer, I was delighted
to find it exhibiting a temperature of 32^° + ,
being the first time this year that it had risen
above the freezing point. Little lines of water
soon dribbled from the snow on the weather side
of the deck and other places ; and great was the
pleasure with which I remarked that instead of
instantly congealing as usual, it maintained its
liquid form. Sir E. Parry had the same degree
of temperature at Winter Island, a little more
than two degrees north of our situation, on the
27th, u e., exactly one week later in the year
1822.

On the 17th and 18th the weather was
mild, but still so overcast that the points of
the land could not be distinguished. Again
on the 19th all was tranquil. The crew
were inspected by the medical officers and
reported to be in an improving state. Three
however were still far from well, and one (Jones)
had rather retrograded. Several others, though

318 FLOCK OF BIRDS. [CHAP.V.

able to do their duty and free from pain, con-
tinued to walk lame from the rigidity of which
I have so often spoken.

April 20th. The outside caulking of the ship
was completed as far as practicable j and though
under some disadvantage, on account of the
pressure of our inclined position, yet the carpen-
ters were desired to proceed with the same
operation along the water ways and upper deck.
The sails were also under examination, and had
prudence permitted us to restow the six months'
provisions, which sadly lumbered the quarter
deck and gangways, we might soon have assumed
something of a ship-shape appearance. This
however could not be until the ship was fairly
afloat, and it was necessary therefore to be satis-
fied with having all in readiness for good or
evil. At noon the ice, affected by the con-
stant blowing of the northely wind, wrhich had
prevailed since the day before, was found to
have gone considerably to the eastward. A
large flock of birds, supposed to be ducks, though
more likely dovekies, was observed flying north-
ward.

At daylight of the 21st, it was found that
the spring tide had set us farther east than
we had yet been : a hole or two of water also
was seen within a few hundred yards of the ship,
and the ice had the appearance of easing down,

14

chap. v.] lyon's remarks. 319

a natural consequence of the offshore wind.
The temperature which had been lowered by
a breeze from the N. W. to 2° + rose again
as the sun gained power, and at noon was 18° +
and 53° .

At 2h p. m. the ice commenced setting to
the east, and by 6h p. m. we had drifted so
far to the south east, as to bring into view
some new land, low, and apparently forming a
shoal point, inasmuch as at some distance off,
there were four rounded mounds of high and
heavily packed ice, thrown up upon what we con-
cluded to be sand banks or reefs. As the bearing
(true) was S. 37° W. it was certain that we were
opposite to Seahorse Point, which was in latitude
63°43'N., longitude 80° 10' W., and variation, 49°
00 W. This is the most eastern part of Southamp-
ton Island, but too low to be visible from Point
Ley son, though, as Captain Lyon remarks, the
heights behind might be seen from thence ; and it
seems to me most likely that the high land which
he saw, and had supposed to be the continuation
and boundary of the range terminating in the
other extremity at Cape Comfort, was really Mount
Minto, which is fully one thousand feet high,
and the adjacent ridge that was still within view
of the ship. It had always been an interesting
speculation with me what would be the direc-
tion taken by us, or rather by the ice driven by

320 FLOCK OF DUCKS. [CHAP.V.

the current, on arriving at this spot ; for it was
difficult to say whether we should be set round
the point along the coast towards Caryswan's
Nest, or to the East of Mansfield Island to-
wards Labrador, or, directly through Hudson's
Straits into the Atlantic. Confiding in the
observations of those who had preceded us, and
assuming, therefore, that the meeting of the tides
from the Welcome and Fox's Channel was some-
where about Caryswan's Nest, I held to the
first opinion; conjecturing further, that the nu-
merous detentions likely to be encountered from
different winds, eddies, or other causes, would
eventually lead us near open water, perhaps
quite as early as any practical use could be made
of it.

In the course of the evening a flock of fifty
ducks was seen approaching, but after coming
within five hundred yards, they wheeled round
and flew away to the south east.

At2h a.m. of April 22d the ice in its course
to the eastward eased out so much, that many
calves sprung up from beneath the pack, and
soon after a few holes of water were seen. By
8h a. m. the south point bore S. 5UZ° W. ; but the
ice, as usual, with the change of tide setting
again in the contrary direction, at noon, the ex-
treme point bore S. 32° W., and Mount Minto N.
80° W. The wind was moderate from the S.W.,

CHAP. V.] A WHITE BEAR. 321

and though otherwise fine the temperature was
only 24° + .

April 23d found us twelve or fifteen miles off
Seahorse Point, which, nevertheless, we did not
get beyond, the wind being light and very un-
steady. Certainly either the tide was not strong,
or the whole body of ice moving together pre-
vented our observing it. Some ducks were
seen, apparently looking for open water. About
4h p. m. the ice slackened considerably round the
ship and to the southward, causing in the course
of two hours several lanes and holes of water,
but too far disconnected to have aided our
escape, even had we been at liberty. It was not
a little singular that with so much water there
should have been no appearance of seals, sea-
horses, whales, or any other denizen of the
Arctic regions. This evening, however, a visitor
was announced in the following manner. De-
tached groups of the crew were sauntering about
the ridged and extremely uneven ice that formed
the nucleus of our floe-pieces, when the Cor-
poral of Marines, who was somewhat apart from
the rest, gazing listlessly upwards at the peaked
hummock above his head, saw, to his amaze-
ment, quietly looking at him, a white bear. At
the first glimpse he started off with all the
speed which circumstances permitted, leaped
a wide opening, which, on common occasions,

Y

DRIVEN OFF SHORE. [CHAP.V.

he would not have attempted, and in breathless
agitation announced the intruder. Instantly
were heard a hundred voices in all varieties of
tone, from the shrill scream to the hoarse bawl :
the news flew fast, and gathered as it flew ; so
that, by the time it had travelled from the fore-
castle to my cabin, it saluted me with the intel-
ligence, that two bears, an old and a young one,
were close to the ship. On reaching the deck
I saw, indeed, a young bear about ninety paces
ahead of the ship, shaking and eating a piece of
an old jacket which it had just picked up. The
first Lieutenant and Mr. Gore fired, and, both
balls taking effect, the animal staggered away about
forty paces and fell dead. It was a female cub of
last year \ and though on being opened the stomach
was found entirely empty, there was still some fat
adhering to the flesh. To us the adventure was a
novelty, and gave occasion to some jests.

By midnight the wind blew fresh from the
south-east, soon closing the holes near us ; and
during the next twelve hours, so far had the
ice taken us off shore, that at noon, when the
sun was fortunately clear for a few minutes,
it was evident that the ship's head was now
pointing E.N.E., in a line directly for Mill
Islands, and that we were not less than seven or
eight leagues from Seahorse Point. In this new
posture of affairs it was deemed expedient imme-

CHAP. V.] RESTOWING PROVISIONS. 323

diately to refit, so far as could be conveniently
done. The small sails and geer had already
been put into order, and now the topsails under-
went an inspection, while the bulwark inside was
caulked, the seams paid over with a layer of
resin, scraped, and primed with a coating of yellow
paint. The tanks were also ordered to be cleansed
in order to their being filled ; and, as the com-
paratively small dimensions of the fragments of ice
which now surrounded us, as well as its loose and
disconnected state, would necessarilv render futile
any attempt to save a stock of provisions, &c, in
case of accident, and there no longer, therefore,
existed any reason for keeping it on deck, I gave
directions that every thing should be restowed ;
except a sufficient supply of pemmican, preserved
meats, &c, to be kept on deck for each boat in
readiness for any emergency, against which it
was still necessary to provide, as it was uncertain
whether the ship would float, when once more
in open water. At all events, whenever that
time should arrive, whether soon or late, and
whether with good or evil fortune, it was clear
that the promptest activity would be required
from all on board ; and that it was necessary,
therefore, to have all prepared beforehand.

Up to noon on April 25th nothing occurred
worth mentioning. We were perhaps a little
farther from the land, the nearest part of which

y 2

324 DEATH OF A SAILOR. [CHAP.V.

bore S. 85° W., distant by estimation twenty-
three miles. Mount Minto was once seen, and
by admeasurement was forty miles away. To-
wards evening the breeze became steady from
south-east, and gradually freshened as night drew
in. A small bird, supposed to be a snow bird,
flew near the ship. In the early part of the 26th
the wind increased to a gale from the southward,
and placed us in latitude 63° 57' 02" N. ; but the
horizon being rather misty no land was seen,
and the sun was not clear enough to get sights.
This day terminated the life of Alexander Young
(marine), who had been long slowly sinking under
his fatal malady. There had been occasional
fluctuations which afforded a ray of hope ; but,
at length, after lingering on the verge of disso-
lution during a wearisome period, in which he
displayed no want of mental energy or proper
resignation, he yielded to the overmastering
disease, and with some appearance of suffering
closed his mortal career. At his own request the
body was opened by Messrs. Donovan and Mould,
who found the liver affected and very much en-
larged. The blood was poor and extremely
serous, almost indeed separated into two parts ;
and some water was lodged in the region of the
heart. The following day, April 27th, the last
sad offices were paid by the officers and crew, and
a third poor shipmate was committed to the deep.

CHAP. V.] FORGE AGAIN ERECTED. 325

Soon after the mournful ceremony was con-
cluded, a little snow-bunting was observed to
hover for a few seconds over the aperture
through which the body had been lowered, and
then to fly away.

For the preceding eighteen hours the wind
had freshened considerably from the south-
west, and at noon the weather being dark
with snow no observation could be got,
neither was any land in sight, though we con-
sidered we were setting with the entire body
of ice towards Mill Islands. The people
were occupied in refitting different parts of
the ship, and our winter housing was taken
down. So great indeed was the quiet we now
enjoyed, that the forge was again erected on the
ice, for the purpose of making and repairing
several articles of which we stood in need. No
water was visible : another flock of ducks passed
near. In the evening the wind veered to
W. N. W., and occasionally blew fresh in squalls.
Early on April 28th a few holes of water were
observed, but soon closed again. What how-
ever was more interesting, was an island faintly
distinguished from the mast-head, bearing south-
east. At noon it was no longer in sight, in con-
sequence of the ship having drifted to the south-
ward. The temperature had once fallen so
low as 1° — , but subsequently rose again to

y 3

326 ISLANDS IN SIGHT. [CHAP.V.

5°+- The latitude was 63° 58' N.,' and longitude
79° 04/ 15" W., which made us about twenty-five
miles from the western extremity of Mill Islands.
The wind still blew from the same quarter,
neither was there any change around the ship.

April 29th. At daylight land was descried to
the south-east, and at noon the bearings, as
taken from the crow's-nest, were Mill Island
E. \ N , Salisbury Island S. E. \ E., and north-
east end of Nottingham Island S. £ E. We
still remained undisturbed, though apparently
drawing nearer to Salisbury Island, which the haze
of the evening shut out from our sight. Another
large flock of ducks was observed flying towards
the north-west.

April 30th. The wind had veered to north ; but
from the dullness of the weather our precise
situation, with respect to the land, could not be
ascertained. One large hole of water was made
out about three miles to the eastward, but this
soon afterwards closed, giving place to two of
smaller dimensions, which opened something
nearer to us. The operations of the last week
had clone much to clear and cleanse the vessel,
and. the upper deck having been scraped, there
was an air of comfort and neatness, to which the
climate not less than the anxieties of the winter
had for many months rendered us strangers.
The coldness of the westerly winds, which in

CHAP. V.] ADVANCE OF SEASON. 3^7

the night reduced the temperature below zero,
and in the day seldom suffered it to rise much
above, had proved an annoying drawback to
the exertions of the first Lieutenant; unfor-
tunately, however, we were not pressed for
time, for at present there was nothing around
but one wide range of closely packed ice.
Still the end of the month had arrived ; the sun
beamed brightly and travelled far in its diurnal
circuit ; the heralds of spring had flown beyond
us towards the north, and the gladness of ad-
vancing summer was felt by all of us. At 6h p. m.
a part of Mill Islands was seen, bearing N.E. by
E.^ E., and some other land near it, most likely
one of the group. The breeze freshened from
N.N.W. in the night, and on May 1st the weather
was keener than it had been for some time. A
momentary glimpse was caught of the land on
the starboard beam, but the haze prevented our
distinguishing what part it was. The boats, which
it may be remembered had been hoisted high up
the rigging to keep them above the frowning
masses which then threatened to overwhelm us,
were now removed to the davits, in the hope that
danger of that kind was past. The horizon
was still obscured at noon ; but from sights with
the artificial horizon, the latitude was found to be
63° 49' N., and longitude 78° 54/ SO* W.; thus
giving the anomalous result of our having been

Y 4

328 PROBLEM. [CHAP.V.

set to the westward against a westerly wind, and
with fresh squalls from the north a progress
south of only four miles. For this, I am at a loss
to account in any other manner than by sup-
posing the passage between the islands to have
been closely blocked up ; so that the southern ice,
acted upon by the floods which attend the dis-
ruption of the spacious lakes and rivers of the in-
terior, had been pressed forward with such force
as to resist even the vast body of ice bearing down
upon it from the north. The mast-head thermo-
meter, which throughout the winter had been in
a position eighty-seven feet above the sea now
varied so little from those on deck, seldom more
than 2° or 3° at the most, that it was taken down
and the registering of it discontinued ; and I may
take this opportunity of observing that there
were very few occasions which on trial were found
favourable for flying a kite with an appended
self-registering thermometer, during the former
portion of the winter when the floe was un-
broken, and that the operation was utterly im-
practicable in the latter part, when the ice was
ground into thousands of peaked and irregular
heaps, mounds, and barriers, which defied the
activity of the most alert.

The weather continuing obscured, nothing
could be distinguished beyond a mile or two from
the ship, and on May L2d there was no change ex-

CHAP. V.] CHARTS DEFECTIVE. 329

cept a fresh layer of snow, and a south-east wind
instead of a northerly one. Several large flocks of
ducks flew past us to the north, and one flock was
seen resting in a small hole of open water about
a mile to the south, Land was indistinctly seen
abeam. The latitude at noon was 63° 39' N.,
but the few miles gained to the south would
probably be lost again from the change in the
direction of the wind. The difficulty which
we experienced as to the exact bearings of
the land would have been in a great degree
obviated, had the observations and charts of the
only navigators who, as far as I know, have ever
passed between these islands been transmitted to
posterity. " Purchas," says Sir John Barrow, in
his Chronological History of Voyages into the
Arctic Regions, " is blameable, to a certain
degree, for the meagreness of Baffin's Journal,
and the suppression of a chart which accom-
panied it; for he admits, in a marginal note,
that * this map of the Author's for this and the
former voyage, with the tables of his journale
and sayling, were somewhat troublesome and
too costly to insert.' " The consequence was,
that the true places of these islands were not
inserted in the maps ; and though the hiatus
thus left has been in part filled up by other sea-
men, and among these, recently, by Sir Edward
Parry and Captain Lyon, yet from the fact of

330 Baffin's observations. [chap. v.

all these officers having passed north, south, or east
of the islands, and none to the west, their remarks,
however excellent in themselves, were compara-
tively without value to us. It is therefore, I repeat,
much to be regretted that the entire account of
Baffin's voyage in 1615 has not been handed
down to modern times ; for we find it stated
that, after getting beyond Cape Comfort, they
" tacked and turned the shippes head homewards,
without any further search;" and again that,
after this, they " passed Nottingham's Isle, near
which they remained till the 27th of July,
observing the set of the tides, the time of
high water, &c., and taking in ballast. From
thence they proceeded between Salisbury and
Nottingham Islands." For our embarrassment,
however, as to the width of the channel between
the islands, its depth and dangers, we were
compensated by not experiencing any of those
turbulent commotions of the ice which had so
painfully harassed us before. We now drifted
to and fro with the mass, on which the ship was
still poised, with little inconvenience beyond the
awkwardness of our position and the irksome
monotony of the scene.

On May the 3d we were much nearer the
land, the north-west point of which bore S. 20° E.
The sky was blue, the weather nearly calm ;
and at noon the temperature was 24° + , and 55° +

CHAP. V.] GULLS, DUCKS, &C. 331

in the sun. But that which most pleased me, was
the sight of a gull flying towards the north-west.
I had never known these birds to arrive earlier
than the 7th ; and at Fort Reliance, at the east
end of Great Slave Lake, more than a degree to
the soutli of our position, the same birds did not
appear before the 15th of the month. Hence,
though no water was visible from the mast-head,
I felt confident that there must be some at no
great distance from us. The evening was over-
cast, and snow continued to fall throughout the
better part of the night, but on the next day the
sun dispersed the gloom, and the weather, for
the first time these several months, became plea-
sant. Two rather extensive lanes of water
opened out on either side, about a mile away
from the ship, and at noon Nottingham Island
was still in sight. Some flocks of ducks beino*
detected, two of the officers, unable to resist the
temptation, went in quest of them. They re-
turned in the course of the afternoon, sunburnt
and weary, with the acquisition of two loons
instead of ducks ; and I cannot but suspect that
what before had been taken for ducks were also
loons. A few dovekies and three gulls were the
only other kinds of birds that had been seen ;
but later in the day a white whale showed itself
for a few minutes. As the temperature in the
shade at,2h p. m, was 46° + , it was not surprising

332 WATER ANKLE-DEEP. [CHAP.V.

that they should have experienced much diffi-
culty in picking their way over a surface so
extremely rugged, but I was scarcely prepared
to hear, as was the fact, that water had been
found ankle deep. This was the effect of one
day's sun ; and if the thaw continued at the
same rate, there seemed every probability that a
large portion of the lighter pieces of ice would
soon be resolved into water, and that our release
would be earlier than we had anticipated.

May 5th. We appeared to be something
nearer to Nottingham Island, which, from being
high and hilly, now declined by an easy slope to
the southward. A lane or two of water was still
open ; and, besides many extensive floes in shore,
one, at least a mile and a half long and quite
even, was discovered at no great distance from
us. Such floes could not have subsisted where
we had been ; and it was therefore inferred that,
up to that time at least, there had been no
violent pressure in this quarter. This was the
more remarkable, as it is a fact well attested
that, about the spring tides, when the ice has
space to move about in, the violence and irregu-
larity of cross sets, together with that unac-
countable " bore," or furious rush of waters, of
which I have so often had occasion to speak,
have been experienced by all who have fre-
quented these straits, perplexing the Commanders,

CHAP. V.] REFITTING. 333

and hampering their vessels so as to create
alarm for their safety. Sir Edward Parry men-
tions the bufferings his ship received from the
eccentric motion of masses of ice, which, under
the influence of a fresh working breeze, he was
unable to avoid ; and on several occasions Captain
Lyon was so startled at the sudden tumult of
waters around the Griper, that he was under
great anxiety to know where the " wild eddy"
would carry her ; once, indeed, he says, " a
noise as of a beach surf was heard, and the
fog being very heavy, the boats were lowered
to tow our head off the supposed shore, but
the sky was suddenly cleared by the breeze,
and no land was seen in any direction."

The crew were kept employed in refitting,
&c, and in the evening the top gallant masts
were swayed aloft and pointed. The next day,
May 6th, brought a rather fresh breeze from the
westward, and, at noon, the south-west point of
Nottingham Island in sight, bore S. E. by S. J S.
But one lane of water was seen, and that was to
the south ; beyond it, however, there appeared
to be a water sky.

On May 7th the ice was perfectly close, and
at noon we had been set nine miles to the south,
and five to the west ; the extremes of land at
8h a. m. having been from N. 84° E. to S. 60° E.
For the whole of the day the ice carried us to the

334 HILLY COAST. [CHAP.V.

southward, but still not a drop of water was in
sight. Three burgomasters (Larus Glaucus)
flew past, and were followed by some flocks of
loons.

May 8th, There was no change in the ice, but
several flocks of birds were observed winging
their flight to the west. At noon we had gone
nine miles to the south of yesterday's position.
On clearing away the booms to caulk the deck,
the seams were found more open than was antici-
pated, and numberless rents were discovered
between them, all of which were now filled up
and made tight. The ice remained perfectly
quiet, and on May 9th there was no water in
sight, nor could the land be seen on account of
the haziness of the weather. About 7h 30m p. m.
before sunset, the sky became clearer, and showed
us the coast of this part of Nottingham Island,
extending farther than we had yet seen to the
south-east. The distinct view now afforded us,
gave an outline more marked than any hitherto
passed, for irregularity and sinuosity, ravines and
isolated hills. Of the hills, many had an elevation
of no less than one thousand or fourteen hundred
feet, and it is probable that some, in the interior,
were still higher, as their peaks also were
faintly visible. One, the nearest of the detached
heights, sprang abruptly from the comparatively
smooth summit of a shelving slope that rose

CHAP. V.] FLOCKS OF LOONS. 335

from the yet lower land abutting the sea, and in
shape resembled the roof of a large barn. Two
others, differing from the first in having more
ridged and rounded extremities, next caught the
eye, which, from these, wandered over a more
regular surface, until arrested by a gorge or pass.
To the north and west of this succeeded a
range of uneven heights, extremely varied and
novel. The southern termination appeared like
an island, but was supposed, in fact, to be con-
nected by a small ridge of low land. The
summits and rounded tops of a portion of this
extraordinary island were still enveloped in their
winter mantle, but innumerable patches proved
the influence of the advancing season.

May 10th brought no change : not a living
creature was seen, nor a drop of water detected
within scope of the horizon ; the ice, so far as
we were conscious, was motionless, though our
observations assured us that we were drifting
gradually to the south east. As dusk drew on,
two holes of water were seen in a south east di-
rection, but up to midnight they were not en-
larged. Very early on the 1 1 th an immense number
of loons flew towards the west, and were shortly
afterwards followed by additional flocks which
seemed to pursue the same course. The sky
was overcast, and the land consequently indis-
tinct ; but there was little doubt that we had

336 SQUALLS. [CHAP.V.

moved slowly towards the southern point of the
island. Soon after a light breeze sprung up from
the south west, and several lanes and holes of
water shortly appeared in that and other direc-
tions, though the ice immediately round the
ship continued exactly the same. Over all these
places there was a dark horizontal cloud. The
atmosphere being favourable for seeing remote
objects, it was observed, that beyond what had
been thought the termination of Nottingham
Island, there was an extensive line of low circuit-
ous coast, apparently dipping into the water, or
rather losing itself in the ice ; and to the right of
it, at a bearing of S. 35° E., other land was de-
tected, which could be no other than one of
Diggers Islands.

May 12. After midnight the breeze freshened
from E.S.E. and drifted us somewhat to the
N.W. along the land, now within a moderate
distance ; a fact curious enough, since no
pressure had occurred inshore to make any va-
cant space for an admission. Such, nevertheless,
was the case. In the forenoon the wind veered
to south and blew with considerable violence in
squalls, bringing light snow which dissolved
on the deck as it fell. An interesting event was
noticed by one of the officers yesterday evening :
Lieutenant M'Murdo was outside the ship on
the ice, and his attention being awakened by a

CHAP. V.] RAIN. 337

shrill screaming overhead, he looked round, and
saw a large white hawk with the tips of the wings
and the end of the tail black, chasing, what he
imagined to be a solan goose, but which, from
his description, I considered to be one of the
northern divers. The hawk kept always above
and repeatedly struck at it but without accom-
plishing its purpose, when, scared by the sound of
Lieutenant M' Murdo's dog- whistle, it wheeled
round and went off slowly towards the south, in
a direction for the coast of Labrador. The only
hawks of a similar description that I remember
to have seen, were a few, found on the rocky
borders of Artillery Lake in latitude 6C2° 56' N.
and longitude 108° 24' W.; and it maybe worth
remarking that the broad feathers of the tail are
held in such high estimation by the more war-
like tribes of Indians, that there is scarcely any
thing they will not give to obtain them.

In the latter part of the day the snow was
converted into drizzling rain, the first we had
had for more than eight months, and in date
corresponding with remarkable precision to the
same circumstance in the interior of the Hudson
Bay Company's territories. At Fort Franklin, in
latitude 65° 1 V5&f N. and longitude 123° 08'52" W.
in 1826, the first shower of rain fell on the 11th
of May. At Fort Enterprise in 1 820, being in lati-
tude 64° 28' 24" N., and longitude 113° 06 '00" W.,

z

338 SHIP LEAKY. [CHAP.V.

and at Fort Reliance in 1834, in latitude 62° 46'
29" N. and longitude 109° 00' 39" W., rain fell about
the same period; and now off Nottingham Island, in
latitude 63° 11' 44" N. and longitude 78° 56' SO" W.,
it came on the 12th May 1837 ; so that, in this
respect, two degrees of latitude and forty-four
of longitude occasioned far less difference than
might have been expected under circumstances
and modifications so various. A solitary raven
and some large flocks of ducks or loons were
seen going to the north-west, probably to open
water somewhere thereabouts. The rain, which
ran down the rigging and across the deck,
served to tighten the former, and to prove the
leaky condition of the latter. It was, indeed, to
be expected that, twisted and shaken as the ship
had been, to say nothing of the chinks occasioned
by the climate, some leaks would show them-
selves, especially about the butt ends ; but the
water found its way through so many places, that
unfavourable as the position of the ship was
for caulking, it seemed prudent to do so at
once, even though a further repair might be
required hereafter when she came upright.
Accordingly on the 13 th the carpenter com-
menced operations, and the temperature being
much higher than usual, the opportunity was
taken to rattle down the rigging. No open
water was made out, but many dark clouds were

CHAP. V.] RAPID THAW. 339

hanging round the horizon. In the afternoon
the weather was much clearer though the sky
remained overcast, and there was certainly more
land free from snow than on the previous day :
the ice, too, surrounding the ship was hourly
becoming more honeycombed on the surface ;
fresh water found its way into the cracks ; several
pools gratified the sight ahead and astern as well as
in the cavities between the huge mounds ; and,
such was the softness of the under ice in some
few places, that both officers and men, while en-
deavouring to pass along, frequently sank above
the knee into water, until stopped by the sub-
stratum of ice. At 8h p. m. some long lanes of
water towards the south-west and Digge's Islands
appeared, and the whole sky in those points
assumed a dark steely-blue hue, which, as it
prognosticated, brought about midnight abun-
dance of rain, the thermometer being then
at34° + .

May 14th. The welcome rain did not abate,
and the surface of the pack, stripped of the
frozen snow, displayed a variety of tints, by
which the age of its component parts might
easily be detected ; among these, it was not the
least interesting to observe the dim and sombre
hue of irregular mounds, ridges, or peaks of
age-stricken ice, peering out conspicuously amidst
the more recent and brighter formations, like

z 2

340 GLOOMY WEATHER. [CHAP.V.

feudal castles frowning over a level waste.
After attendance at divine service, I was in-
formed by the officer of the watch that the ship
had settled down three inches forward, but an
alteration so trifling was not apparent on deck ;
and, what was far more consolatory was the fact
that the leak had taken up so much, as to make
it an easy task to keep it free with one pump,
used four or five times a day. At noon the
weather was thick and gloomy, with light rain,
the temperature being 35° + . Drizzling rain,
ultimately succeeded by snow, fell during most
of the night, and at daylight of May 15th water
could be made out from the crow's-nest, extend-
ing from south-east to west. The thermometer
did not fall lower than 29°+ during the night,
and began to rise rapidly after 8h a. m. For the
first time this season the sails, which had been
wetted by the late rain, were loosed to dry.
The land was dimly visible and the sky still
overcast, but the same dark horizontal clouds
were always seen to the south-west. The breeze
freshened as the day declined, and some lanes of
water displayed themselves to the southward as
usual.

May 16th. When the land could be made
out, it was seen that we had set more to the
south, and by noon we were opposite the rounded
rocky hill, which had formed the terminating

CHAP. V.] IMPROVEMENT IN CREW'S HEALTH. 341

point of view on the 10th of May. It was
remarked that a lower continuation of land ran
beyond it, and now, a still more sloping part
ended in what, judging from some grounded and
up-turned pieces of ice lying off it, we imagined
to be a shoal. However, we were evidently
drifting clear between it and Digge's Islands,
which from the mast-head were seen to bear
directly astern, but the main land was not
visible. Countless flocks of loons, ducks, and
teal were winging their way to the northward,
all flying low, and what struck me as strange
and unusual, there was not a single one to be
found on the water ; for though they not unfre-
quently passed across and round it, as if tempted
to bathe and sport awhile, yet restrained, as it
seemed, by some more powerful motive, they
pressed onward to their destination. At noon
the temperature was 36° + , and even in the
night, under the influence of the north-west
wind, it only fell to 26°. Upon inspection by
the medical officers the crew were reported to
be in reasonably good health : one alone was
unable to do duty, though three or four more,
perfectly well in other respects, had not yet
recovered the complete use of their limbs.
Indeed, Barker's leg was as inflexible as stone.
As the sky cleared we were rather surprised to
find ourselves full in sight of Digge's Group,

z 3

342 ISLANDS. [CHAP.V.

with high craggy land stretching to the eastward.
Between the latter and Nottingham Island were
several lanes of water, which, either from the
change of tide, or some other cause, began gra-
dually to close, but were again found open early
on May 17th, the ship having by that time been
drifted more to the south-east. Vast numbers
of birds whizzed through the grey haze of the
morning, which, from a heavy lurid glare, min-
gled with a dull red tint, had all at once saddened
to mist. The sun, however, struggled through
it ; and as the vapour passed away we were glad-
dened by the sight of a lane of water in a
manner surrounding our pack, besides others not
very remote, and dark cloudy patches along the
horizon denoting still more. Salisbury Island
was also seen beyond the point of Nottingham,
as were Digge's, and the wild-looking land a
little to the east of Cape Wolstenholm, which
must be much higher than was supposed by
Captain Lyon, whose description, however,
gives an excellent idea of it. " The land here-
abouts," he says, " has a very remarkable
appearance, being broken into high perpen-
dicular bluffs, of from six to eight hundred
feet, between which the rocks were split into
deep ravines, descending abruptly to the water's
edge, and, at a few miles' distance, giving the
idea of their being the entrances to narrow

CHAP. V.] POOLS OF WATER. 343

fiords. The rocks are apparently of gneiss,
the strata of which dip, with a considerable
curve, to the northward." I may add to this
account, that the land behind rises into round
and high acclivities, which wrere then in many
parts free from snow. By noon the ice a few
miles off assumed a more detached appear-
ance. Speculation as to when and where the
eagerly desired event of our liberation would
occur was now over, for it was evident that no
one could, with any show of reason, assign any
preference of place. The wind having set in
from the eastward slowly checked the outward
passage of the ice, though by the evening we
had altered the bearings of the different re-
markable bluffs and other projections more than
four points of the compass.

During the whole of May 18th we remained
much in the same position between the Labrador
Coast and the Islands, the temperature at noon
being 36°, and 51°+ in the sun.

May 19th. There was no alteration in the
ice, and the ship was almost in the same place.
About 6h p.m. the ice commenced setting fast to
the eastward, and near the main land seemed to
be easing out. Numerous flocks of loons flew
towards the south, and one snow bunting was
seen. Pools of water formed from the melting
of the ice and snow around the ship. The wind
having veered round to the north-eastward

z 4

344 DIMINUTION OF SNOW. [CHAP.V.

brought drizzly rain ; and, as the temperature
fell during the night to 31° + , the rigging on
May 21st was partly coated with ice, which, as
the day grew warmer and the breeze freshened,
fell on the deck like a shower of glass. The
weather cleared up enough by noon to allow of
our seeing Salisbury Island, which, notwithstand-
ing a wind directly against us, we seemed to have
neared. This, as well as Nottingham Island,
were much more free from snow than when
seen two days before ; and, indeed, a manifest
diminution was visible over the surface of the
ice ; yet no lanes were in sight, and but one
solitary hole of water in any direction. A
lonely raven visited us for a few minutes, but no
other birds appeared. One seal, the first seen
for a long time, was observed to rise in a hole of
water. The temperature at noon was 36°. The
next twenty -four hours produced no change but
that which was afforded by continued snow and
sleet, eventually subsiding into rain ; and on
May 2£d, exactly eight months since we had
ceased to have the control of the ship's motion,
there was not a hole of water to be seen from
the mast-head, nor was our position at all
altered. The temperature had been as low as
29° + , but got up to 38° + . Wind east. The
land was seen in the evening, but no change
worth mentioning occurred ; and after a night
of snow and sleet, May 23d found us almost in

CHAP. V.] CAPTAIN'S STEWARD ILL. 345

the same place. We were then set back a few
miles to the westward, until the wind, veering
to W.S.W., brought us to our former position,
at the same time separating the ice into lanes,
which opened and closed more or less through-
out the night.

May 24th. The sky was overcast, but about
noon Salisbury Island could be just distinguished,
and by the bearing we seemed to have been
drifted to the east. The temperature was 23° + ,
but subsequently rose to 37° + . After the favour-
able account which I had so recently received of
the health of the crew, I certainly did not
expect to hear of any fresh attack, but I was
now given to understand that the malady had
fastened on my steward, though no one had
been more regular in taking exercise, or more
particular about his diet and comforts. The
symptoms, it is true, were at present but trifling ;
but as they had displayed themselves in the
same place and manner as in all the former
cases, there could be no doubt of the nature of
the malady, against which, therefore, there
seemed to be no security. The decks were not
only well ventilated and dry, but extremely
clean and comfortable, and there was certainly no
want of anti-scorbutic diet or generous nourish-
ment. I was the more distressed by this new
case as fearing that it might extend further, at a
time when the active services of every one

346 SNOW. [chap.v.

would assuredly be required. It was observed
that we had gone more to the eastward in the
latter part of the day than during the whole of
the last fortnight, and as the evening closed
Nottingham Island bore astern, making that of
Salisbury more abeam. The wind veered half
round the compass and brought abundance of
snow, which continued without interruption
until noon of the 25th, when, from the obscurity
that prevailed, no land could be seen. The ice
looked white and wintry, the fresh- water pools
were all hard frozen ; and, with the solitary
exception of one opening, probably the effect of
the tide, the whole surface was again one
compact mass. The temperature was as low
as 22° + 5 wind westerly.

By the 26th we had gone sufficiently to the
eastward, to be in sight of the extremity of
Salisbury Island as well as of a very high and
rocky part of the Labrador coast. On the 27th
the ship was set a little to the north-east, or
in a direction nearly across the straits. No
water was in sight, but immense flocks of
loons kept flying to the south. On the 28th
the weather was warmer but yet no lanes ap-
peared, though the entire body of ice had
assumed a more even appearance and was evi-
dently easing down. Two large birds like swans
flew past to the north. The temperature rose
at noon to 45° + . A couple of loons were

CHAP. V.] MR. GORE SNOW-BLIND. 347

shot by Mr. Gore. The day was dedicated to
the celebration of His Majesty's birth, the crew
being allowed an extra store of good things to
quicken their loyalty. There was little wind,
and therefore little change of any kind. On
the 29th the temperature, which had sunk to
27° + , ran up the scale until at noon it reached 48°,
and in the sun 64° + . Our sportsman, Mr. Gore
after about ten hours' exposure on the ice, became
snow-blind. No water was to be seen.

On the 30th the weather was thick with

light snow, which shut out the land from

sight. The crew were again examined by the

medical officers, and reported to be a little

improved, though there was not one instance

of perfect recovery, and my steward was quite

lame. At 6h p. m. the east bluff of Salisbury

Island bore N.N.W., by which it seemed we

had been set something to the N.E. In the

night the wind blew fresh from the S.E., and

snow fell without cessation ; nor up to noon on

May 31st was there any change. Still no water

in sight, until at 5h p. m, while the ice in the

distance was perfectly close, we were surprised

by the sudden opening of a serpentine lane

thirty yards astern, extending to either side of

the ship. The wind blew fresh in squalls during

the night, and the entire body of the ice appeared

to be setting to the north-east.

348 [chap.vl

CHAPTER VI.

Feast of Loons. — Mr. Vaugharis Path. — Perilous Ex-
cursion. — White Whales. — Carpenters busy under-
mining Ship- — Result of Labours. — Polar Expeditions.

Nariohales. — Report of Health. — Cannonading Floe.

— Cheerfod Labours in sawing away the Ice. — Employ-
ment for Armourer. — Impediments from Calves. — New
Rent discovered. — Report of the Ships Drift. — Ship
bursts her Bonds. — Novelty of Scene. — Stern-post shattered.

Officers' Opinion in favour of Return to England. —

Awkwardness of Situation. ■— Expedition frustrated. —
Ship's Draught increased. — Visited by Esquimaux. —
Ship struck by a Floe. — Shattered Condition of Ship. —
Sail for England.— Arrival at Chatham.

In the diary of the last month I have had few
incidents to record, and I am sensible that to
the general reader it may have presented little to
attract attention. It is, however, the duty of
navigators to detail with some minuteness such
facts as, however in themselves uninteresting,
may hereafter be found useful as guides to those
who follow in the career of adventure, and I
proceed therefore with my journal.

June 1st. The temperature fell to 23° + , but
the lane astern, as well as two or three others,
continued open, and some loons and seals being
discovered, several parties went in quest of them,
but without much success. Much light snow

CHAP.VI.]] FEAST OF LOONS. 349

fell during the night, but the weather cleared up
on the 2d ; and shortly after 8h a. m. the lanes, or
rather the one close to the ship, opened so much,
that some of the officers went out in the dingy,
while others made a long circuitous walk. The
party altogether shot upwards of thirty loons,
which being first skinned, and allowed to steep
for two days in salt and w^ater, were then dressed
like jugged hare, and with red wine sauce and
currant jelly, were esteemed by us as nearly equal
in flavour. At all events we found them a
grateful change from the preserved meats and
other cured stock in our possession. At noon
the lane began to get narrower, but in the course
of three hours I had watched no insignificant
quantity of detached pieces of ice stream
without noise from the main body, and drift
rapidly to the north-east as far as the lane would
allow. This was encouraging, as betokening
the facility with which a general separation
would take place, whenever the barrier farther
down the straits should ease off sufficiently to
allow of it. Salisbury Island bore directly
ahead, and the Labrador Coast was merely in
sight. The temperature varied from 22° + to
42° + . The ice became more slack, and began
to assume a promising look to the eastward.
Numerous parties were tempted by the novelty to
try their skill in shooting, and as the cheerfulness

350 MR. vaughan's path. [chap. VI.

which the sport was calculated to excite was
valuable at the moment of recovery from indis-
position, I encouraged the inclination. There
were, however, other substantial advantages ; for
such was the success of the day, that a sufficient
number of loons were killed to allow of the dis-
tribution of an extra allowance to each mess in
the ship. Many, too, were the anecdotes related
on the occasion. The Larus Glaucus, or Bur-
gomaster, seemed to defy the powder and shot
of the ablest marksman, contenting itself, when
struck, with merely looking round, uttering a
short guttural screech, and flying deliberately to
the nearest wounded loon, which he dispatched
in so artist-like a manner as to leave no other
remnants than the clean bones and a few of the
larger feathers. But the boatswain, Mr. Vaughan,
had met with the oddest adventure. Having
walked over soft and hard ice along the margins
of the different lanes, sinking to various depths
in treacherous holes, and always holding a
charged gun, ready to fire at the first thing that
came within hail, but all to no purpose ; he
very resignedly stuck the butt end of his piece
into the snow, and thrusting both hands in his
pockets, walked up and down so much after his
usual methodical fashion, that he had soon beaten
down a path the exact length of the forecastle
of the ship. In this mechanical perambulation

CHAP. VI.] A WALRUS. 351

some time passed away, and probably his thoughts
were wandering to far other scenes, when sud-
denly, from among the pieces of ice at his feet,
up sprang a walrus. The stranger startled the
boatswain beyond measure ; and, far from
attempting to touch his gun, he stood staring
with riveted astonishment at the long tusks, and,
to use his own language, the "grey beard," of
the apparition before him, until the walrus
having sufficiently breathed itself, and less curious
than the astonished seaman, quietly sank again
to the dark recesses of the deep. He then
remembered it was a sea-horse, and came on
board with the account.

Towards night the ice opened, and streamed
away to the eastward past the ship, insomuch
that it became necessary to dispatch the boat for
some parties, who suddenly discovered that, in-
stead of being on the main pack, they were
slowly floating away on detached masses. The
utmost extent of water was not more than two
miles, in a south-west direction towards Hud-
son's Bay, and this, during the night, was par-
tially closed, though on June 3d there was an
appearance of many slack places in the same
quarter. The officers amused themselves in en-
deavouring to kill an immense seal, that incau-
tiously rolled across a piece of ice within three
hundred yards from us ; but, notwithstanding

352 PERILOUS EXCURSION. [CHAP.VI.

the correctness of their aim, it contrived to reach
the margin and plunge into the water. Those
of the crew who had been sporting were equally
unfortunate, having met with few birds ; among
those shot, however, may be mentioned a fat
dovekie, and a kind of widgeon. The weather
cleared and showed us Salisbury Island, which
bore N.W. h W. At 2h p. m., it being th

en

spring-tide, the ice, gradually slackening beyond
our pack, set to the N.E. for two hours, after
which it partially closed again, leaving, however,
a few holes, to which some of the officers and
men went off, for the purpose of shooting what-
ever they might find. But about 8h p. m. there
was a partial slacking out of the ice between
them and us, and the water being soon covered
with brash and sludge, which lay thickly between
the larger pieces, it was impossible to send out a
boat. The officers, who, being disappointed of
their sport, were nearer the ship, found no dif-
ficulty in returning ; but the men, who had
straggled farther, were very differently situated.
They had not only a lane to cross, but had to
pick their way from piece to piece over two
miles of loose ice ; a labour which we, unable to
render the least assistance, watched with no
little uneasiness, lest those who were less alert
should fall into the water or be disabled. They
managed, notwithstanding, to arrive on board

CHAP. VI.] ICE MORE COMPACT. 353

shortly after llh p. m., of course much fagged
with their exertions.

June 4th. The ice closed at 4h a. m., and,
with some trifling variety, remained so till noon,
when we were about four miles south, and
two east, of our former position. The tem-
perature had ranged from 23° + to 42° +, with
a light south-east wind. There was no favour-
able change of any description, either in the
afternoon or throughout the night, the ice being
rather more compact than heretofore, a fact
which I was unable to comprehend, as the wind
was much too light to affect it in any way,
still less when subject to the counter influence
of a spring- tide. The most probable conjecture
seemed to be, that this very tide might have dis-
lodged some heavy bodies of ice from the many
friths and bays to the north of Resolution Island;
and that, aided by the southerly current, together
with the light winds which had prevailed of late
between south-east and south, those bodies might
have been driven against, or partly into, the
mouth of Hudson's Straits, and so blocked up
the space between that and our position. Certain
it was, we had scarcely altered the bearing of
Salisbury Island, which at noon was N. 60° W.
In the afternoon, while occupied in exercising
the crew at small arms, and afterwards in reefing
and furling, the wind came from the eastward

A A

354 snow. [chap. vi.

with more than usual violence, bringing with it
so much snow, that, in the course of four hours,
it lay eight inches deep on the deck ; deeper,
that is to say, than had been the case on any
previous occasion, in the same time. The ice
was closely wedged, without a single hole of
water so far as we could see.

On June 6th there was a partial slackening
out, within a few hundred yards of the ship, but
the whole soon closed again, forming one un-
broken body in every direction. That such had
not always been the case in other seasons we are
assured from the fact, that Bylot and Baffin
found little or no impediment to their sailing
past this very spot in June. Still, the Hudson's
Bay Company's ships, admonished no doubt by
experience, seldom or never leave the Thames
earlier than the 6th June ; and, without ques-
tion, last year they must have found that date
quite soon enough. At noon the weather, which
had been misty, cleared a little, but not suf-
ficiently so to enable us to see land. The tem-
perature varied from 25° to 49° +. The wind
now veered to west, and, like that from the op-
posite quarter, brought snow, from which indeed
we were seldom exempted. The ice presented
an appearance of opening, and with a fresh
breeze down, or, in other words, out of the
Straits, it might have been supposed that

CHAP. VI.] STRONG WINDS. 855

this would continue for several hours ; yet our
conjectures in this, as in many other cases, were
wrong, and it closed again almost immediately.
Neither was there any improvement during the
night, and on June 7th the whole surface was
more compact than had been observed for a
month past ; not a drop of water was to be seen.
The thickness of the weather intercepted our
view of the land, though, from a hasty glimpse,
Salisbury Island seemed farther to the north.

The wind, which continued to blow steadily
from the same quarter, but with increasing vio-
lence, at length began to have some effect on
the immense surface surrounding us ; and al-
though at midnight no water was visible, shortly
after, on June 8th> a lane opened out astern,
extending, with some interruption, three or four
hundred yards to the south-west, in which di-
rection several large holes were subsequently
seem The ice immediately astern and adjoining
the lane was more loose and disengaged from the
larger compact masses than it had previously
been, so that there was fresh reason to hope that
the seaward body was streaming away from the
entrance of the Straits and the neighbourhood of
the Labrador coast. At noon we had drifted,
by estimation, about eleven miles : Salisbury
Island was no longer to be seen. The latitude
placed us one mile to the south of yesterday's

a a 2

356 WHITE WHALES. [CHAP.VI.

position. All repairs about the ship and rigging
being completed, there was little occupation to
be found for the crew, who, by way of ex-
ercise, were regularly drilled by the Sergeant of
Marines, under the inspection of Lieutenant
Smyth, and made to march quick and travel hard
round the upper deck, for an hour or more, until
they had been properly breathed for the day.

Having now more pemmican than with our
weakened crew could be made use of on boat
service, and as this was a perishable article, I
ordered it to be issued once a week, in the place
of preserved meat ; the store of which, if not
required, might be appropriated hereafter in any
manner Government thought proper. In the
afternoon it blew a gale which separated the ice
so far as to leave a considerable space of open
water, where, for the first time this season, some
white whales were observed. At 6h p. m. land
was descried to the south, the bearings of which
were from S.W. to E.S.E.

June 9th. There was much loose ice to the
eastward, mingled with several smooth and
regular floes, which evidently had neither been
exposed to pressure nor otherwise disturbed,
except as we now beheld them. The ice form-
ing our pack was unaltered in area, though
slightlv diminished in thickness from the in-
creased temperature of the day. At night the

CHAP. VI.] THICKXESS OF ICE. 357

pools still froze, being invariably found crusted
with ice in the morning ; still, from the effect
of the sun and the heat radiated from the sides
of the ship, upwards of two feet of ice and
frozen snow had slowly sunk away, thus almost
exposing the keel from the fore-foot to the fore-
chains, while a deep trench resulting from the
same cause extended quite round, exhibiting
above it the ruins of the ponderous waves, in
the hard gripe of which the whole of the after
part of the ship lay immovably wedged.
There were no means of ascertaining the actual
thickness of the accumulated masses, which in
so extraordinary a manner cradled us up, but
some of the pieces floating in the clear space
were estimated at forty feet beneath the line of
flotation ; and, indeed, from the force applied
during the convulsions so providentially escaped,
when the ship with all her heavy load was felt
rising under our feet, it could hardly have been
less, while from the irresistible pressure that
drove one mass under another, it might have been
even more. It seemed, therefore, indispensable,
that before we could get free, the weaker bodies
surrounding us and as yet adhering, should be
entirely detached, so as to afford room for our
supporters to glide away easily. An operation
of this magnitude could only be accomplished
by natural means ; but in order to divert the

A A a

358 OFF CHARLES ISLAND. [CHAIWI.

minds of the crew, they were set to work with
pickaxes, spades and axes, to reduce the for-
midable summits of the nearer waves, and mark
out the most feasible line of escape, when acci-
dent or time should favour us. There was a
great deal of loose ice between us and the land,
which the fineness of the day brought clearly
into view. It turned out to be Charles Island >
so that the late gale had driven the ice rapidly
to the eastward, and, as regarded the ship, some-
thing to the south. At noon the land bore from
8.S.W. to E.S.E. ; and, as seen from the deck,
had the appearance of three islands. The ice
closed again.

The adverse direction from which the breeze
came kept the ice much closer than of late, and
for a few hours we seemed to retrograde ; but in
the night this ceased, and up to noon> June 10th,
we might be said to be stationary, the ice then
being very compact. The temperature varied
only from 30° to 38° 4-. The following night
we were set a few miles off the land in conse-
quence of the breeze having veered to south-
east, and increased in strength ; and though for
a brief interval some openings were observed,
yet they soon closed again, and in the morning
of June 11th, the ice was again perfectly com-
pact. However, soon after divine service, the
weather became so fine, that little rills of water

CHAP. VI.] BRIGHTENED HOPES. 359

were pouring down from the more elevated
pieces of ice into the hollows and thence into the
sea. Before noon, a hole had appeared within
fifty paces of the starboard quarter, and, singular
enough, without other apparent cause than a
trifling motion in the looser floating ice. About
the same time, and without any noise, a ser-
pentine lane of water unexpectedly broke on our
sight, at no greater distance than one hundred
and sixty yards. It was connected with the
hole just referred to, and extended across the
bow towards some brash and mixed ice to the
south-west, in the limit of which direction, for
some days past, a dark lane of water had been
more or less visible. The appearance, as if by
magic, of an opening so near the ship, was pro-
bably the most fortunate event that could have
happened, for until some such occurrence, we
could indulge but slender expectations of a speedy
release ; whereas, now, the hopes which frequent
disappointment had dimmed suddenly bright-
ened, and cast an enlivening gleam on the future.
The temperature had not been lower than 30° + .
Up to noon of June 12th, the only further
change was another separation between two of
the heavier floe pieces, still nearer to the star-
board side of the ship ; after which another
twenty-four hours of tedious uniformity rolled
heavily away amidst a dead calm and thick

a a 4

360 DIMINUTION OF ICE. [CHAP.VI.

atmosphere. One novelty indeed there was
in those stagnant hours, and that a suffi-
ciently gratifying one, viz. that the temperature
remained above the freezing point through-
out the night, the lowest having been 33°-{-.
At noon of June 14th it was 54° + , the sky
being still overcast and no land in sight. Some
lanes of water appeared, but none of any conse-
quence. Within the last few days the upper
portion of the ice had undergone a perceptible
diminution from increased warmth, but there
was still an immense thickness to be dissolved ;
and one summer, such as this region could be
expected to afford, might not suffice for the
destruction of so vast and, as it seemed, inter-
minable a body, without the co-operation of some
more powerful and speedy influence. The im-
potence of our own efforts had been already mani-
fested in the attempts in which, although zeal and
self-interest had prompted every man to do his
utmost, we found ourselves unable to effect more
than to level down some of the inequalities of the
surface near the stern, or on either side of the
ship. Nothing, indeed, favourable could be ex-
pected, until the ice should become slack enough
to allow the imprisoned under pieces to rise to
the surface.

The period had again arrived for examining
the crew, who were reported to be in much the

CHAP.VI.] INVx\LIDS. 36l

same state, some still continuing lame, and Gibbs,
poor fellow, barely able to walk once or twice
along the deck by the aid of a stick in one hand,
and resting on the bulwark, or whatever else he
could grasp for support with the other. Jones
also was unable to do any duty, though in a
less degree affected, while Barker and Anderson
continued to complain of the stiffness of their
legs. Smith (my steward) was still suffering,
and walked very lame, and two more were tem-
porarily on the sick list. Indeed, the knee or
ankle joints of two-thirds on board were more or
less affected with shooting pains or twitches,
betokening weakness, and few could take even
ordinary exercise without sensations of languor
and uneasiness. The lowest temperature of this
day was 32° + .

The prevalence of the northerly breeze,
though moderate, was sufficient to bind the
whole of the surrounding ice on the Labrador
side, and consequently our change of position,
at the most, did not exceed two miles to the
south. Some few holes of water were occa-
sionally seen as the ice varied in its movements,
but generally speaking it was more packed and
forbidding than had of late been customary.
Much, however, was expected from a westerly
wind, whenever it might come, and in the mean-
time there was some satisfaction in witnessing

362 CARPENTERS BUSY. [CHAP.VI.

the diminution of the upper ice, which wasted
away from one to two inches in the twenty-four
hours.

On June 15th not fewer than twenty-six
planks of the ship's side could be counted from
the fore chains directly down to the ice, and as
this had dissolved enough to bring within reach
of the carpenters several more streaks, prepara-
tions were made to caulk and coat them with
coal tar like the rest. It was found, too, that
we could, by removing the ice down to the water
level, reach the upper part of the damaged stern-
post, though this was not to be accomplished
without hard labour, since the mere pressure had
formed an icy cement so tough and adhesive,
that fragments stuck to the planking, even be-
tween the narrow breadth of the strokes of the
pickaxe. It looked, indeed, as if the ship had
been placed in a bed of some plastic compo-
sition, which time had indurated into the solidity,
and almost the substance, of limestone rock.
However, under the direction of Lieutenant
Smyth, the men contrived to get below the ten
feet mark, and it was then ascertained that the
doubling as well as the split stern-post were more
twisted from their true positions than when last
seen about three months ago. The water in
some measure interrupted the proceedings, but
with the assistance of the fire engine it was kept

CHAP. VI.] UNDERMINING SHIP. 363

so much under, that the work could be con-
tinued, while a second party, co-operating with
the former, went on steadily undermining the
fore-foot, which has been described as resting
upon the surface of the ice. It will be readily
understood that the object of these proceedings
was to remedy, as effectually and speedily as pos-
sible, whatever portion was accessible of the seri-
ous injuries which it was probable the keel and
lower section of the hull had sustained ; and,
though nature would in time have effected the
same thing without labour of ours, yet it was
of moment to be ready for any of those extraor-
dinary changes which, through the disruption of
the surrounding ice, would sooner or later launch
us into freedom.

Three swans, a flock or two of ducks, and an
occasional plover or snipe passed towards the
north, while a few loons and two or three kinds
of gulls flew round or hovered over the different
holes of water. At noon Charles Island was
just distinguishable from aloft, and soundings
were obtained in forty-six fathoms on a rocky
bottom with small pebbles, and a part of some
crustaceous animal. This corresponded exactly
with the soundings, as given in Captain Lyon's
chart, and also those of the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany in our possession.

The labour of excavation was carried on with

364 RESULT OF LABOURS. [CHAP.VI.

cheerful alacrity, and by the incessant use of
draining machines, in the shape of the engine,
boats' pumps, and buckets, we contrived to
penetrate as low as the seven feet mark; but the
sea water then beginning to ooze through the
under ice, rendered abortive any further attempt
to keep the space clear. This result, however,
had been gained. It was ascertained that the
doubling, and a portion of the stern-post below,
projected over to the larboard side several feet ;
and that another portion, from the ten feet six
mark to seven feet five, was incapable of repair.
It was, consequently cut away. The night
passed tranquilly, and a flock or two of geese
flew past towards the north. No change trans-
pired among the ice until early in the morning
of June 16th, the anniversary of our sailing from
the Nore, when it began to slacken round the
heavy ice which we were partly entrenched in
and partly upon. The weather, too, cleared, for
the wind came lightly from the south, and the
distinctness of the blue land (the snow being now
gone) of Charles Island, was a convincing proof
that we had been drifted a few miles in that
direction. Still there was not the faintest indi-
cation or promise of an open space ; for, let the
eye roam where it would, there was one wide glare
of dazzling white but too familiar to our senses.
It is not a little remarkable to reflect on the

CHAP. VI.] POLAR EXPEDITIONS. 365

various ineffectual attempts that have been made
by different commanders in modem days, to
fill up the small blank on the northern charts,
between the bottom or south part of Regent's
Inlet and Point Turnagain. Parry's and Frank-
lin's achievements are too well known to require
observation or eulogium from me ; yet the
former could not penetrate through Fury and
Hecla Strait, and the latter found it imprac-
ticable, from the damaged condition of his
canoes, the want of provision, and the advanced
state of the season, to proceed beyond Point
Turnagain. Of Sir John Ross's eventful expe-
dition all have heard. My own, in search of
him, is also before the public. Captain Lyon, in
trying to reach Repulse Bay by the Welcome,
was baffled by a succession of bad weather and
heavy gales ; and now again, I, acting upon the
united experience of most of the distinguished
names just mentioned, under circumstances con-
sidered favourable, after getting nearly within
sight of my port, am stopped by drift ice, at
what is generally the very best period for navi-
gating the Polar Seas — am frozen fast, in Octo-
ber 1836, at the entrance of Frozen Strait — and
now, Junel6th, am carried into Hudson's Strait,
on some of the very same ice that originally
begirt the ship, without having had it once in
my power either to advance or retreat. In

366 DIVERSIONS. [chap. VI.

short, from north, south, east, and west, the
attempt has been made, and in all equally with-
out effect ; and yet, with a tolerably open
season, the whole affair is within the accomplish-
ment of six months.

The crew were variously employed, but
principally in removing the ice from under the
fore-foot, the bend of which was literally above
the level of the sea, now ascertained by the
bursting up of the water from beneath ; on the
other hand, the stern-post was immersed or
imbedded a little more than nine feet. The
officers also had their occupations : some of the
keener sportsmen lurked for the chance of a
shot ; others were speculating on the possibility
of coaxing the ship's peas to germinate in a
heterogeneous composition of coal dust. A
fishing line, too, was set, but the most per-
severing had not been rewarded even by a
nibble. My aim was to encourage every thing
that could relieve the mind by abstracting it
from a too fixed attention to our situation ; and
as there were no complaints, it is fair to pre-
sume that the end was in a great measure
attained. Though the temperature at noon was
4G° + , and witli a blackened bulb thermo-
meter 66° in the sun, yet it had been as low
as 29° + in the night, and consequently the fresh
and brackish pools were once more coated with

CHAP. VI.] INCREASE OF WATER. 36?

ice. Little transpired throughout the night,
but on June 17th the wind veered to the N.W.,
and the ice began to open out all round, ex-
posing by noon considerably more water than
had yet been seen. A fog soon rose from it,
which so completely darkened the sky that we
neither saw land nor got observations, and were
consequently ignorant whether we were drifting
down the Straits or not. The ship appeared to
have risen bodily up one inch during the twenty-
four hours ; but this of course was attributable
to the thawing of the ice on the surface. A
small fish was found in the mouth of a gull
(boatswain), and more ducks and geese flew
towards the north. By 4h p. m. the ice was
again cemented, and subsequently Charles Island
was seen, the position indicating that we had
been set a short distance to the south and east.
Dark patches of sky created by the vapour from
open water appeared all round the horizon,
except towards the main land, in the direction
of which were some extensive floes of a remark-
ably even surface. One or two, of minor
dimensions, could be just descried to the east-
ward ; and as a conclusive proof that there was
something more than a mere opening and
shutting in of the ice by the action of successive
tides, several pieces of broken and discoloured
mounds, quite new to us, were swept near and

368 A GALE. [CHAP.VI.

ultimately past the ship. The temperature sank
to 30°+ in the night, and the pools of fresh
water froze over. Much small snow also fell
without intermission up to noon of June 18th,
with a temperature of 43° + . The ice again
moved about with great irregularity, flattering
us one hour by its loose and disconnected
aspect, and annoying us the next by resuming
its compactness. Yet these transitions, unsatis-
factory as they were, betokened an activity of
some sort towards the entrance of the Straits,
which might therefore be clearing so as to allow
the western ice to drift down. The haziness of
the weather concealed the land, but the latitude
made us still farther south.

In the afternoon soundings were obtained in
eighty-five fathoms, on a rocky bottom. The ice
opened out towards night, and a solitary walrus
showed its huge frame above water but made
no long stay. About midnight, and on June
19th, the wind blew from the E.S.E., and,
increasing to a gale, speedily set the ice in
motion all round us. Occasionally, streams of
drift-pieces drove, at the rate of two miles an
hour, against the corners or edges of our heavy
floe-ruins ; and though without any perceptible
shock or injury at the time, yet, as it afterwards
appeared, with effective force, since, at llh a. m.,
a large strip silently separated itself from our

CHAP. VI.] BOLT STARTED. 369

general mass. It was then that numerous lanes
and holes of water ranged themselves in a line
exactly across the direction of the wind, almost
up and down the Straits ; and the land becoming
visible during a partial cessation of sleet, snow,
and rain, with which we had been refreshed, the
ice-mate, Mr. Green, imagined he could make
out several conical tents, from whose tops smoke,
as he thought, issued. Unfortunately, dark clouds
soon obscured that part of the land, which seemed
like an island, depriving us, for the present, of
the satisfaction which the realization of this idea
would have afforded. On inspecting the hull,
as was customary, it was discovered that one of
the copper bolts, situated in the eleventh plank
below the fore part of the main chains, on the
larboard side, had started, and projected one-
eighth of an inch outside the doubling ; a cir-
cumstance that made it necessary to cut beneath
the head and clinch it afresh. Again, while em-
ployed in clearing out the fore part of the bread-
room, for the purpose of getting at coals and
provisions, just below the broken stringer on the
starboard side, one of the through bolts of the
lining was found to have started, and, from the
mere collapsing of the after part of the ship, one
of the casks had been actually pressed to such a
degree, as to stick into the lining. Prudence,
therefore, required that the stowage should not

B B

370 ICE MORE OPEN. [CHAP.Vr.

be disturbed until we were afloat, for the ship
still inclined over as before, and it might be
that, at intervals, a strain was thrown on that
particular part.

The east end of Charles Island bore S.W.,
and the weather was dark and gloomy, with
a temperature of 31° -f . The ice, this after-
noon, was more detached and open than it
had been during the season ; and had the
ship been freed of her bonds, there was space
enough to have moved two or three miles to
the westward. But, as it was uncertain when
that consummation so devoutly wished wTould
take place, or what might be her state when
afloat, as it was possible that she might be
near the land, or in a situation requiring to
be immediately worked, I thought it right to
make such preparations for steering her, as the
urgency of the occasion might demand. From
what had been already seen, there were reasons
for apprehending an insuperable difficulty in
shipping the rudder ; and, indeed, if, as was
conjectured, the split stern-post projected three
or four feet at right angles to the keel, to say
nothing of the doubling forced up, it seemed
evident, that even if the old rudder could by any
management be fixed in its place, it would serve
only for an additional purchase to weaken the
already broken parts thereabouts. To provide
against a contingency so serious as well as proba-

CHAP. VI.] RUDDER CONTRIVED. 371

ble, it was requisite to devise a rudder of an en-
tirely different construction, yet so contrived as
to lose little of its power, and such a one was
ingeniously hit upon by Lieutenant Smyth. It
was effected by the simple operation of transposing
the wood, forming the lower part or heel of the
rudder, to that forming the upper part, thus
giving to it when finished an oblong form, not
much unlike that used by a Thames barge rigged
with sails, and at the same time the desirable
property that it could be hung on the strongest
part of the stern-post. Having a spare rudder on
board, which had fortunately been put together
in pieces for the convenience of stowage, as it
was divided into two portions, an upper and lower,
just where the division was wanted, the thing
was half done to our hand*, some iron work and
a few fittings for putting it together being all that
was required. Throughout the night the ice
kept opening and closing, and the temperature
sank to 30° +. In the early part of June 20th,
however, it became very slack to the westward,
especially along the shore of Charles Island, to
which we were much nearer. The Strait, never-
theless, was completely blocked to the north and
east, though the ice, at least that near us, was
certainly drifting slowly down towards the

* The rudder had been made in this way to provide
against accidents.

B B 2

37^ SOLIDITY OF FLOE. [CHAP.VI.

entrance. We now began to cut through the
mounds at the edge of the floe pieces, and to
open a communication with the visible parts of
those cracks extending diagonally from one ex-
treme to the other, and in one instance crossing
the ship's bows ; for as it was mere speculation
how deep or tortuous these flaws might be
beneath the surface, it was at all events an equal
chance whether our operations might not ac-
celerate their rupture.

Some snow had fallen which was succeeded by
a south-west wind, and at noon thick weather
came on that hid the land. The temperature
was only 35° +. The wind became variable,
coming sometimes in fresh gusts accompanied by
snow and rain : partly from this cause and partly
from the tide, there was a more than common
stir among the ice, which now separated itself
into detached streams and single pieces, exposing
a checquered surface of water to the west-
ward, most cheering to the eye. During the
night the ice was, what the Greenland sailors
term, running about ; and, though firmly con-
nected pieces of various dimensions, from one to
three or four hundred feet in diameter, struck
our floe with considerable violence in passing by,
yet such was its solidity and weight that the
effect was merely to grind away insignificant
points along the edges.

CHAP. VI.] TRENCHING THROUGH ICE. 3^3

June 21st came in with snow and a tempe-
rature of 30° + . At 5h a. m., all hands were
employed in trenching through the mounds, and
cutting as low into the water as they could.
Saws unfortunately were altogether useless, on
account of the thickness of the ice, which being
measured with a line, as far down as a projecting
tongue, was found to be thirty-three feet, and
was conjectured to be, in the whole, between
forty and fifty at that particular place. Some
large calves rose up from beneath the starboard
floe piece, which indeed was the most vulnerable,
and we now marked out a line of work at three t
different places, which were ultimately to be
connected, so as to form an upper channel of
communication with the sea. I would willingly
have trenched down and cleared away the frozen
snow, which adhered so tenaciously to the after
part of the ship, but for the impracticability of
shoring her up, and the risk that must have
attended the disturbance of the shores on the
parting of the floe ; all that could be done, there-
fore, was to conduct a channel of water within
a few feet of the starboard side, to which she
inclined, in the hope that a severance might be
effected by some sudden jerk through the entire
depth below. By noon, we were rather nearer
to the east end of Charles Island, which was quite
bare of snow, except in fissures and ledges. The

b b 3

374 EXTRAORDINARY EDDIES. [CHAP.VI.

temperature was only 40° + , the weather calm
but hazy with snow, the barometer 29. 5 1 . Much
ice drifted past and as far as the ship in the
afternoon, among which, were several perfectly
even floes of six to seven hundred yards long, of
a pale blue colour, and evidently of last winter's
formation \ while, contrasting with these, were
others more soiled and channeled, that had ap-
parently strayed from the northern lands at the
head of Fox's Channel, bearing on their shoulders
the ruins of other floes which had been broken
and borne over them in the convulsions of
, those extraordinary eddies. These did not re-
main ; for in the early morning, a little after the
close of the longest day, with the last rays of
which the sky was yet tinted, they swept by,
leaving us as usual fixed in our unyielding bed.
There was a dead calm, and even on the day
of the summer solstice, the temperature sank to
27° + . The crew, under the immediate direction
of the first Lieutenant, were set to work at
5h a. m., and performed the novel duty with
good humour and perseverance. By noon we
had been drifted to the eastward, the latitude
being 62° 54' 50", and longitude 74° 40' 30".

The character of the shore was comparatively
low, even, and rocky, about the eastern extremity,
but farther west, was more hilly, and if not com-
posed of more than one island must possess some

CHAP. VI.] MASS BREAKS OFF. 375

very deep bays. The last twenty-four hours,
the leak had increased twelve inches. By a sud-
den change, the weather had become sultry, the
thermometer in the sun being 62°. A very few
birds, but not a fish or animal was seen. The
ice merely opened and closed with the flood and
ebb tide, without further effect.

On June 23d, the crew were employed in cut-
ting away the outer mound on the starboard side
of the ship, and made such rapid progress in their
early labour, that the edge of the floe rose two
feet six inches out of the water, and this was
immediately followed by the appearance of a
transverse crack between them and the ship. At
10h 15m a. m., while steadily occupied at their
work, the disconnected body of ice was observed
to run with considerable velocity past the stern
of the ship, directly towards the part they were
reducing, and an enormous piece coming in sud-
den contact with a projecting point, that had been
purposely formed by cutting away the ice about
it in the morning, the whole mass broke off with
the concussion, and rolled partly over in conse-
quence probably of the upshooting of several im-
mense calves from underneath it and the floe.
At the very moment of disruption a number of
men were working on the separated piece, the
rocking of which placed them for the time in a
perilous situation. From this, however, they

376 MOTION OF ICE. [CHAP.VI.

were promptly rescued by launching the clingy
to their assistance, though not soon enough to
save all the pickaxes, shovels, handspikes, &c,
some of which were lost. This circumstance
made a great difference both in the magnitude and
compactness of our island floe, and encouraged
a hope of getting the ship afloat earlier than had
been expected ; still this was a consummation
which at the present juncture was hardly to be
wished, as it would have been impossible to pre-
vent the running ice from striking, or the heavier
bodies from nipping her ; either of which, strained
and shaken as she was, it was obviously desirable to
avoid. The motion of the ice on this occasion was
singular, being rotatory, as if influenced by an
eddy, as indeed was not unlikely to be the case
about the eastern end of an island, having only a
narrow passage between it and the main, so far as
could be distinguished from the deck. The tempe-
rature varied from 30° to 47° + , and in the sun was
73° + . The ice moved backwards and forwards as
usual, but towards the close of the day was more
wedged than customarily. However, at 4h a. m.,
24th June, there were many lanes of water to
the eastward, without a single one in the oppo-
site quarter. Fresh /water ran off our floe in
streams during the warmth of the day ; and,
what with those and cutting away more ice on
the starboard quarter, it was found by the

CHAP.VI.] SET OF CURRENT. 377

marks on the stern-post that the entire mass,
composing that part of the floe, had risen three
inches. In the forenoon the ship was set to the
eastward, and had certainly drawn nearer to the
land, especially the eastern end of Charles Island,
which was not more than five or six miles away.
The other land, appearing at first continuous
with the latter island, was now ascertained to be
the dark and forbidding coast of Labrador.

It is worth mentioning that even in calms we
were evidently set to the southward and east-
ward, but more particularly to the former, owing,
probably, to the set of the current through
Fox's Channel and between the islands, which
would strike somewhere on the main shore be-
foreyurning directly towards the Atlantic. There
was no other change during the night than
what was occasioned by the tides ; and on
June 25th, the weather was too overcast and
misty to allow our position to be ascertained.
At llh30m soundings were struck in one hundred
and eighteen fathoms, and the bottom was com-
posed of mud and shells. It might be that the
heavier ice, by which, I mean that formed in the
winter, had drifted out of the Strait, as the
lighter pieces which now surrounded us seemed
to be the recent production of the spring, being
mostly even and of but a few feet thickness,
tinged with blue instead of the brownish green

578 REPAIRING FOREFOOT. [CHAP.VI.

and yellow of the older formation. Three or
four pieces had been lifted on the edge of our
floe, in consequence, of course, of some un-
seen pressure. It was thought, too, that the
ship was a little more upright. The land was
only dimly visible once or twice, for the day
was overcast and gloomy, and towards evening
settled into rain, which poured incessantly the
whole night. Soundings were found in eighty-
six fathoms. In consequence of the prevailing
easterly wind the ice continued remarkably close,
slackening, however, occasionally near the ship.
Nothing, indeed, could have been done even
had she been afloat, except to ascertain with
some precision, as I was very desirous of doing,
the extent of our damage.

For this purpose, on June 26th, the crew
were again employed in removing the mounds,
while the carpenters were occupied about the
fore-foot, which, owing to the rising of the ice,
was now sufficiently exposed to allow of the
broken and damaged part being examined with
more exactness. It had been ground away by
the action of the ice, but the stem was un-
injured, and we began immediately to cut away
the ragged parts, with a view of substituting
more solid pieces in their stead, and finally
covering the whole with iron sheathing, taken
from the upper works of the bows, where ex-

CHAP. VI.] NARWHALES. 379

perience had taught us it was not likely to be
of service. At noon the weather was still dark,
and the land invisible. A continuation of the
same gloomy atmosphere prevailed, and immense
floes of spring ice, not exceeding in thickness
three feet, and black with water on the surface,
crowded round our still solid island from diffe-
rent points, but chiefly from the main or Labra-
dor coast, which happened to be the windward
shore. Many of these, driven forward by wind
and tide, struck against us with considerable
violence, but without splintering a fragment from
our rock-like mass. In the evening soundings
were got in one hundred and twelve fathoms
(sand). All night the ice remained very close,
the wind being fresh from the eastward ; and
in the morning of June 27th all hands recom-
menced their labour on the larboard mound,
which unlike some of its neighbours was one
body of solid blue ice, and though causing more
hard work, yet began sensibly to diminish before
the exertions of the crew. But few birds flew
past, though some narwhales were seen playing
about, to the great relief of the ice-mate, who,
having been engaged in the Davis Straits' fishery
the greater part of his life, had been almost
inconsolable at the paucity of * living creatures,'
as he termed them. His joy, therefore, on this
occasion, was commensurate 5 and having in-

380 REPORT OF HEALTH. [CHAP.VI.

tently watched their gambols to the moment of
disappearance, he descended from the crow's-
nest, and with evident signs of pleasure pro-
ceeded to give me a minute account of their
size, colour, and length of horn. By observation
at noon, it was found we were eight miles north
of the last latitude, and by the view of the land
which was quite clear, it was equally evident the
ship had been set rather east than west, though
the wind blew, and had been blowing fresh from
the former quarter of the compass. It follows,
therefore, that the northern ice must have so
completely blocked up the channels we had passed,
as to prevent any thing like a retrograde action.
The temperature varied from 34°+ to 39° + , and
the barometer was 30*01. Wind east.

The men were examined to-day by the medical
officers, and reported to be free from actual com-
plaint, with the exception of the few individuals
mentioned before, some of whom were rather worse.
At this time, in an official letter addressed to
Doctor Donovan, 1 demanded his opinion of the
probable consequences if the ship were detained
another winter in these regions. His answer was,
that it would be fatal to many of the officers and
men, some of whom were even now in a pre-
carious state; and he also reported that the most
useful medicines for the prevalent disease were
expended. The good effect of the labour of

CHAP. VI. J CANNONADING FLOE. 381

the crew in throwing the weight of ice off the
floe, was made manifest by the fact of the ship's
having risen two inches, her immersion in the
water and ice aft being 8 feet 10 inches. In the
evening the ice was close, but much to our
satisfaction a large piece was separated from the
larboard side of the floe ; and, after midnight of
June 28th, the wind then blowing fresh in
squalls from the south-east, a sudden disruption
took place one hundred and fifty yards ahead of
the ship, and split the floe right across. We
therefore returned to our task with fresh spirits ;
and, as a matter of experiment, fired a couple of
six-pounder shot at a mound, but without the
results expected, as instead of splintering and
throwing it down, the shot merely cracked it,
and buried themselves deep in the substance
without doing further injury. One of the shot
was next day recovered from the mound. It had
been discharged at the distance of twenty-one
yards, with a charge of 16 ounces of powder, and
had penetrated one yard and a half, splitting the
mass in various directions. The land was seen
once, and at noon we had drifted eight miles to
the north, being nearly in midchannel ; but the
whole body of the ice was very close, infinitely
too much so for any vessel to have made way.
The temperature varied from 30° to 36°+ ; and
ice was formed on all the fresh water pools

382 CAULKING, &C. [cHAP.VI.

during the night, Barometer 29-95. A few
holes, some distance apart, showed themselves in
the evening, but, on the whole, the ice was ex-
tremely close. The carpenters completed and
had made a good job of the fore-foot, which was
well secured with three plates of iron.

June 29th. Land was faintly seen from S. S. E.
to S. W. ; tiie work went on as usual. At noon
the south-east wind had drifted us a little to the
west, the ice being very close and no land in
sight. Temperature from 32° to 36° 4- . Nothing
transpired to alter our condition, for the wind
with singular constancy kept to its old point of
south-east, and consequently wedged the ice
closer than ever ; nevertheless all opportunities
were seized to do whatever might accelerate our
release from this icy cradle, and the carpenters
were again busied in caulking the butt ends of
the planking, as they came day by day within
reach.

On June 30th, four white whales appeared
in a small hole of water near the ship, and
occasionally a seal popped up its head. The
laborious work upon the mounds went on cheerily,
and though some of the men began to be affected
with inflamed eyes, they did not on that account
shrink from their duty. They had all along
worn each a small screen of green veil ; but rinding
that this did not effectually answer the purpose, they

CHAP.VJ.] INAUSPICIOUS COLD. 38

g

contrived to make goggles with crape over the
ends, instead of glass, with other devices not
without ingenuity. The most distressing event,
however, was another instance of a relapse, in
the person of Mr. Mould the assistant surgeon,
who was very lame and altogether far from well.
Gibbs, too, could not but be considered in an
extremely precarious state, and his limbs, poor
fellow, were dreadfully shrunk, and so weak, that
he could not walk the length of the lower deck
without assistance. In clearing away the ice
from the fractured parts of the stern-post, apiece
of its doubling two feet six inches in length, ex-
tending from the four feet six inches mark to the
seven feet, and consequently under water, was
brought up by the carpenters, who further
ascertained that the outer stern-post had been
forced aft, and at the eight feet eight inches
mark it had opened from the wooden ends one
inch and a quarter. The night brought no change,
and on July 1st the work was continued as before,
but so cold had it been, that not only was ice
formed on the fresh pools, but young ice was
seen even round the edge of the floe on the sea
water ; a strange phenomenon in the middle of
summer, and not very auspicious for our hopes ;
and, indeed an open passage could now hardly be
expected, if we were tojudge from what surrounded
us, for the entire body of ice was not only closely

384 CHEERFUL LABOURS. [CHAP.VI.

wedged, but was more to the westward, more
packed, and altogether more unfavourable to the
prospect of a speedy release than a month before.
In fact, all depended on the direction of the
wind, as must ever be the case in the navigation
of these seas. Unless that be favourable for
driving out to sea the western packs of heavy
ice, all human efforts must be vain. Land was
once made out, bearing S.S.W., and the weather
was dull and cold, the temperature having got to
30° + . The new moon brought us a north-east
breeze, with a dark gloomy sky and abundance
of rain, which did not cease throughout the
niffht. One or two small calves started up from
between the cracks alongside, and on July 2d
the ice began to open out a little, having a
limited space to move in towards the main land
to leeward. The temperature varied only from
32° to 33° + . No variation of any sort inter-
vened to relieve the dull aspect of affairs, but
July 3d at least brought us what we had not ex-
perienced for a fortnight — a fine day. We now
discovered one part of the floe, on the starboard
beam, less thick than the part at which we had
been working ; and the men having got the ice-
saw to work, and singing to time as they lifted
it up and let it down, made such progress,
that in the course of the forenoon, though the
general thickness averaged from twelve to four-

CHAP. VI.] SAWING AWAY THE ICE. 3S5

teen feet, they got through thirty feet ; whilst,
on the other side of the ship, another party was
busy in clearing away the ice from the crack
leading athwart the forefoot to the extremity of
the floe in that direction. In the meantime the
ship remained precisely in the same position.
The observations made us a few miles to the
north and west, the latitude being 63° 17' N.,
and longitude 74° 39' W. Finding the ice be-
came thicker as the work approached the ship, it
was necessary to have a longer saw ; accordingly,
the armourer, by means of the forge, formed two
into one, thirty feet long, which, howTever, from
its comparative thinness, wre were apprehensive
would not be strong enough. No change took
place throughout the night, but the ice remained
so packed, that, had the season been farther
advanced, the whole would most certainly have
been connected into one immense body. As it
wras, the temperature did not sink below freezing
point, though it arrived at it, as indeed it had
done for some time, within a degree or two.

On July 4th the large saw was put into
motion, and answered remarkably well, its own
weight being sufficient to carry it down without
any other incumbrance. With it, therefore, we
made better progress, though the ice was often
as much as twenty feet thick, and by noon, had
cut to a main crack, the least pressure against

c c

386 EMPLOYMENT TOR ARMOURER. [CHAP.VI.

which, it was hoped, would carry away the piece
altogether. The wind having veered to N.N.E.,
made the ice a little more slack, though it re-
mained still perfectly fixed. Having sawed as
far as we could, the next step was to extricate
the saw itself, in attempting which, having been
accidentally broken in two, it was again repaired
by our industrious and zealous armourer, who
never seemed more delighted than when he had
plenty of work on his hands. We now made a
fresh survey of the ice directly astern of the ship ;
and, finding that some places were much thinner
than others, we forthwith commenced digging
and sinking a trench, from the edge of the floe
towards, and in a line with, the keel, preparatory
to trying what might be effected with the long
saw. The rest of the afternoon was employed by
the carpenters putting in two screw ring-bolts,
about three feet from, and on a level with, the
eleven feet mark, according to a plan by the
carpenter, Mr. Smith, for securing the wooden
ends and injured parts of the ship's dead wood.
This consisted in simply passing the stream chain
under the heel of the stern-post, through both
ring-bolts, and securing it firmly on deck abaft,
the object being to prevent any further damage
thereabouts, either from the ice or sea.

On July oth, land, which proved to be Salis-
bury Island, was distinctly seen at N.W. by N.,

CHAP. VI.] LABOURS CONTINUED. 387

and some water could be made out from the
mast-head, between south and west, but the ice
near us was so close, that there would have been
little difficulty in walking five or six miles in any
direction. Indeed, it could not be otherwise
with these never-ending easterly winds. As
early as 4h a. m. the crew were working the long
saw astern, and by noon had cut through twenty-
five feet, or more, of sixteen-feet ice. On all
these occasions the first lieutenant never quitted
them, early or late, frequently putting his hand
to the ropes himself, as did some of the mates
and warrant officers ; and it is but justice to say,
that nothing could exceed the cheerfulness and
order in which this laborious daily toil was en-
countered. The strictest regulations were ob-
served respecting the changing of boots and
stockings, &c, each time the men came on
board, and again on returning to work, so that
there were no complaints or illness of any kind
from the constant exposure. Boards and planking
were provided for them to stand upon, and a
weak mixture of lime-juice was issued, at stated
intervals, to counteract any ill effect that might
arise from too copious a use of cold water. New
ice was nightly formed on all the pools, and
sometimes at the edges of the salt water, though,
according to the thermometer, the temperature

c c 2

388 IMPEDIMENTS FROM CALVES. [CHAP.VI.

had only varied from 33° to 34° + , the excess
having been 40°+ in the southern exposure.
Notwithstanding the compactness of the ice, the
ship was this afternoon whirled round several
times ; and some calves becoming entangled
with our floe near the part where the people
were sawing, so impeded them, that the utmost
achieved was only five feet.

Early on July Cth the work was renewed ; but
from having cut in too slanting a direction, little
was then accomplished : nevertheless, such wTas
their energy, that by noon fifty-three feet alto-
gether were completed, through a thickness of
twenty-six feet. Other parties were not behind
in their endeavours, and three good sized calves
were extricated from underneath heavier pieces,
whilst another was heard by the first Lieutenant
and myself grinding its passage out towards the
edge of the floe. The entire body of the ice
continued close as before, and Salisbury Island
bore about W. by N., the latitude being63°20' N.,
longitude 75° %5f W. Nothing could exceed the
gloominess of the weather ; and though from
the rain that fell it might have been expected
to clear, there was no improvement, and neither
wind nor ice seemed disposed to change. On
July 7th some rumbling noises were heard
by the officer of the watch, the precise cause of

CHAP. VI.] NEW RENT DISCOVERED. 889

which he was prevented by the fog from ascer-
taining. The crew assembled at the customary
hour, and renewed their labour cheerily, though
some were obliged to stand in the water
which covered that part of the ice, in order to
guide the saw. Fearing the consequences of
this unavoidable exposure, I took care that they
were often relieved, and an extra allowance of
oatmeal, with a small quantity of spirits, was
issued. Pieces of ice of various dimensions
were either disentangled, or started up of their
own accord, from between the broad crack athwart
the bow and on both sides of the ship ; and as
a further encouragement to us, we saw for the
first time an entirely new rent through a thick
part of the floe, which opened into the line of
work made with the saw. By noon another
space of twenty-five feet had been cut through,
although a depth of from twenty-four to thirty
feet of tough solid ice had to be penetrated at
every motion of the saw ; and on examining the
marks on the stern-post, it was seen that the
ship's draught was 8 feet 91 inches, and that she
had settled down 51 inches. The general body of
ice continued deplorably close, while the tempe-
rature ranged between 30° and 43°-f; the wind
at east, and the barometer 29*94. A single seal
was seen, the only one for many days.

July 8th. It was found by the marks on the
stern-post, &c. that theshtphadsunk three quarters

c c 3

390 RIGGING SET UP. [CHAP.VI.

of an inch forward, and risen half an inch abaft.
The crew were early at their work, and felt the
comfort of the extra allowance. The ice main-
tained a similar thickness, and by noon another
twenty-two feet were gained, which made alto-
gether one hundred feet since the commencement;
in fact, they were now approaching the stern, and
at intervals they heard loud cracks close to
them, as if something were yielding underneath.
Considering that the event might take place at
a moment when least looked for, to the great
danger of the people, I ordered ladders and ropes,
to be hung from the stern within their reach,
to which, if requisite, they might cling. They
however seemed quite indifferent about the
matter, and sang and worked as merrily as if
they had been on terra flrma. Easterly winds
still prevailed, as did the gloomy sky ; but though
the land was often obscured, yet once the Labra-
dor coast appeared bearing from S. W. to S. W.
by W., and Salisbury Island from N. W. by W.
to N. W. by N., making us much about the same
spot where we had been a month ago. The ice
was impenetrably close. At midnight there was
.what seemed to be a dark water sky to the south-
ward, along the coast, or it might be only the
clouds, which were frequently seen hanging over
the skirts of the land.

On July i)th the fineness of the day tempted
us to set up the rigging, and forego what we never

CHAP. VI.] OCCUPATIONS. 391

did omit except on urgent occasions, the ob-
servance of divine service ; but a fine day was so
uncommon, that we were glad to take advantage
of it under any circumstances. The ice continued
as close as ever, there being only one small hole
of water near the ship. Here some narwhales
came to breathe ; and, as their timidity is extreme,
they would scarcely have ventured so near, had
there been any other place for the purpose. At
noon Salisbury Island was in sight from the deck,
much in the same bearing as before. The latter
part of the day was employed in erecting with
the spare topmasts a pair of sheers, to transport
the temporary rudder aft, and get it over the
ship's side, in case the original one could not be
brought into use when the ship floated. At mid-
night the ice round us was slightly in motion but
still kept close.

July 10th. Water was discovered about six miles
off, from S. W. to S. E., along the Labrador coast,
and at noon Salisbury Island bore W.N. W. The
people resumed their sawing in the early morning ;
and, although from the hardness of the ice, they
did not make their usual progress, yet they kept
hard at work, in the hope of reaching the stern-
post in another twenty-four hours. Not far from
them, others were cutting a new trench at right
angles to the ship, where it was intended to saw,
in order, if possible, to disunite some of the ice

c c 4

89^ REPORT OF THE SHIP*S DRIFT. [CHAP.VL

on which we were partly borne up. Already,
indeed, it was so split by cracks, and our own
exertions, that it seemed almost certain that the
first commotion, when the whole body should
begin to drift, would release us. The wind having
blown from the east twenty- two days, at last
veered to west ; the weather became fine ; and the
temperature veered from 32° + to 46° + .

The following statement of the drift of the
ship, whilst beset in the ice, between the 1st of
January and the 30th of June 1837, was drawn
up by Mr. Saunders (acting Master)*

Course. Distance.

Between 1st Jan. and 1st Feb. S. 23° 4' E. 6 Miles.

„ 1st Feb. & 1st March. S. 38° 12' E. 36 „

„ 1st Mar. & 2d April S. 62" 15' E. 29 „

„ 2d April & 1st May S. 69° 59' E. 46 „

„ 1st May & 30th May S. 60' 00' E. 70 „

„ 30th May & 30th June S. 87° 35' E. 47 ,,

Latitude observed. Longitude observed.

January 1st, 64° 51' 00" N. 82° 25' 00" W.

February 1 st, 64° 45' 00" N. 82° 1 9' 00" W.

March 1st, 64° 16' 00" N. 81° 26' 00" W.

April 2d, 64° 05' 00" N. 80° 37 30" W.

May 1st, 63° 49' 00" N. 78° 54' 30" W.

May 30th, 63° 14' 00" N. 76° 38' 45" W.

June 30th, 63° 12' 00" N. 74° 54' 00" W.

Thus it appears that the aggregate drift for
six months only amounted two hundred and
thirty-four miles.

Some more narwhales appeared again in a
hole close by, and a seal drew itself on the ice,

CHAP. VI.] SHIP BURSTS HER BONDS. 393

no doubt to have a quiet lounge in the sunshine.
This, however, the keenness of our sportsmen
would not permit; and though they failed in their
benevolent intentions, they effectually frightened
the visitors away.

The light air from the westward had been so
far beneficial as to loosen the ice, which was
tranquil or in motion according to the tide, and
whilst in motion several calves rose up from
about and under the fore-foot. Early on July
11th Salisbury Island bore W.N.W. seven or
eight leagues distant. The ice now acquired a
more rapid drift ; and an old floe piece, having
been driven against us, forced up some light ice
by its pressure, but without breaking a morsel of
our impregnable rock. The crew had resumed
their customary labour ; and, as they drew nearer
to the stern-post, various noises and crackings
beneath them plainly hinted that something
more than usual was in progress. After breakfast
I visited them, and the other parties, who were
busy extricating calves and cutting a trench, as
previously stated. Scarcely had I taken a few
turns on deck and descended to my cabin, when
a loud rumbling notified that the ship had
broken her icy bonds and was sliding gently
down into her own element. I ran instantly
on deck, and joined in the cheers of the offi-
cers and men, who, dispersed on different pieces

394 NOVELTY OF SCENE. [CHAP.VI.

of ice, took this significant method of express-
ing their feelings. It was a sight not to be
forgotten. Standing on the tafrail, I saw the
dark bubbling water below, and enormous masses
of ice gently vibrating and springing to the sur-
face ; the first Lieutenant was just climbing
over the stern, while other groups were standing
apart, separated by this new gulf; and the spars,
together with working implements, were resting
half in the water, half on the ice, whilst the
saw, the instrument whereby this sudden effect
had been produced, was bent double, and in that
position forcibly detained by the body it had
severed.

I was then informed that having cut to within
four feet of the stern-post, they had ceased for
a few minutes, to refresh themselves, when the
disruption took place, barely giving them time to
clamber up as they could for safety ; whilst in the
midst of all this bustle the first Lieutenant, finding
himself raised up by the ice on which he stood
to the highest step of one of the stern ladders,
was seen composedly mounting it to come on
board. Nor were the other parties less fortunate
in escaping accidents; so that our joy on the oc-
casion was not saddened by any serious misfor-
tune. We soon found that the ship had only
sunk down to the ten feet seven inches and a
quarter mark forward, and to the eleven feet nine

CHAP. VI.] WELL SOUNDED. 395

inches aft, having a heel of about two streaks over
to port. The first thing was to sound the well,
the water in which increased four inches in a
quarter of an hour; and, supposing that this might
be attributable to the change of the ship's plane,
whereby the water which had been lodged astern
was allowed to come forward, it produced for the
moment but little uneasiness. I soon however
perceived that not only the offensive odour of the
well water was gone, but that what there was, was
equally salt with the sea water alongside.

As the ship rested almost entirely on the star-
board bilge, we naturally hoped that the first
twirl of tide would set her fully at liberty ; and
in this hope the top-gallant masts were ridded,
the yards crossed, and every thing put in readi-
ness to make sail. At noon the ice was still
close except immediately round the ship. Mean-
time an increased quantity of water found its way
into the well, which in four hours, notwithstan-
ding the constant use of one pump, had filled to
the depth of nineteen inches. Subsequently, we
gained two inches on the leak, which thence-
forth kept pretty steady at ten or twelve inches.
Below this, without the use of other means, it
could not be reduced. The ponderous bodies
that had hemmed us round for nine months and
more, the objects of our terror, and yet perhaps
the appointed means of safety, were now seen

396 STERN-POST SHATTERED. [cHAP.VI.

floating away, dark and discoloured, among the
fresh and unspotted ice. We were now able
to see clearly that the stern-post was sadly
shattered; entirely broken from the starboard
side, and projecting fully three feet and a half
over to port. What other injury there might be
we could not yet divine, as the keel and lower
part of the hull were firmly imbedded in solid
ice on both sides, though chiefly on the starboard,
where a heavy fragment of the old floe still ad-
hered. Imagining that additional weight in the
ship might assist in breaking the under ice away,
we hauled alongside of a small floe, where there
was a pool of fresh water, and having got the
engine to work with a long hose, shortly com-
pleted our water to nineteen tons. But finding
this without the effect desired, all sail was set ;
and then, after bracing the yards in the most
advantageous manner for our purpose, the officers
and men sallied alternately from the one to the
other side, and then fore and aft, still however
without effect ; for although this shook the ship
it shook the ice also, and the two, forming one
connected body, merely undulated slightly to-
gether. Sail, however, was kept set ; and with
our extraordinary appendage, we drifted gently
wherever the wind, which happened to be fair,
listed to take us. Our motion did not exceed a
quarter of a mile an hour; and, notwithstanding

CHAP. VI.] LEAK NOT REDUCED. 397

that detached pieces of greater or less dimensions
were frequently encountered, they did little else
than produce some deviation in the line of drift.
Much water opened in sight to the southward and
to the south-west, but the breeze was W.N.W.,
and we were driven about S.S.E. Throughout
the night the pump was incessantly going, by
which means, though the water at one time
gained upon us, we were enabled generally
to keep even with the leak, though not to

reduce it.

July 12th. - The wind continuing light, stud-
ding sails and royals were set, the ship drifting
as before. Some shores were placed under the
fore chains, in the hope that they might assist to
lift the ship off; but I was apprehensive that a
strong purchase might have the effect of tearing
away any fractured or splintered parts that
should happen to be imbedded in the ice. In-
deed, it was evident that great caution was
required in the endeavour to release her entirely
from her icy coating, as well on account of the
damage which was already known, as of the
further injuries that might have been sustained
along the keel, which we were in no condition
at that time to ascertain. It was, therefore,
determined to have recourse again to the saw,
which was forthwith put into order by our able
armourer, the whole of the crew that could be
spared from the pumps being, in the meantime,

398 PROSPECTS CONSIDERED. [CHAP.VL

employed in throwing off the surface of two of
the three or four solid hummocks which yet
remained alongside, while others of the same party
cut a trench at right angles to the ship's beam,
preparatory to using the saw. At noon there were
some narwhales near, and flocks of loons flew past;
but there were few or no gulls. Owing to the
haziness of the weather no land was in sight.

As I now hoped that a few days at most would
yield the Terror to my own control, it became
necessary for me to decide as to the possibility of
accomplishing the original purpose of the expe-
dition ; and, although the altered state of the
health of almost all on board made the prospect
less favourable than it had been ten months
ao*o, yet I had not, until recently, entertained a
doubt of executing in part, if not entirely, the
mission on which I had been despatched. It
cannot, however, be denied that the loss of three
valuable men, the entire disability of four or
five others, the symptoms of disease lingering
in many more — to say nothing of some of the
officers who were visibly effected — had, together
with Dr. Donovan's letter on the subject, already
oiven me great uneasiness ; and now that the
known damage of the ship proved to be far beyond
what I had anticipated, or rather had hoped
against hope •> this, with her leakage, and other
injuries, apprehended though not known, forced
me to contemplate the possibility of a different

CHAP. VI.] officers' opinion. 399

conclusion. Unwilling, however, to admit a
thought so destructive of all my fondly-cherished
hopes and wishes, I demanded the written opi-
nion of the three Lieutenants and Master. These,
in separate communications, and for various rea-
sons, decided that nothing was left but to get the
ship to England without delay ; and my own
sense of duty finally concurring in this opinion,
the resolution was most reluctantly adopted.

In the afternoon we got the saw to work,
and by 5h p. m. had cut to within a few
feet of the ship's side, when, the ice being
closer ahead, sail was reduced. We then drifted
alongside of a floe, round a point of which we
contrived to pass about midnight, and saw much
open water to the south-east.

July 13th. Though there was ice in every
direction, we continued to drift about a quarter
of a mile an hour. Some small calves found
their way from beneath our clog, and it was with
great satisfaction that we contemplated the in-
creased breadth of the saw line — a satisfaction
not lessened by the discovery that the ship had
settled more down, her draught now being abaft
thirteen feet eight inches, and forward twelve
feet eight. Neither, with the incessant workin

cr

of one pump, had the water accumulated in the
well beyond eleven inches. At 9h a.m. there
was a moderate breeze from the westward with

,400 DISRUPTION NEAR SHIP. [CHAP.VI.

a thin mist, and, to our unaccustomed eyes a
sight almost marvellous, a gentle swell on an
apparently unbroken surface. It was thought
the agitation, slight as it was, might crack or
break the ice alongside ; but as it proved other-
wise, two warps fixed to ice anchors, and lead-
ing to either extremity of the ship, were firmly
attached at a favourable angle for separating and
entirely disuniting the entire mass ; however,
while we were in the act of heaving a powerful
strain on the warps, it suddenly split diagonally
from a hummocky point about fifteen paces from
the starboard bow, along its outer edge, to some-
where near the after part of the main chains.
The detached portion, on which were two men,
(a third being in the dingy, close to them), was
instantaneously splintered into three pieces, two
of which, singularly enough, were separately
occupied by the persons just mentioned, who,
standing steadily on the whirling and heaving
ice, thus violently discarded, gave a hearty
cheer, while their companion, having lost his
balance from the sudden jerking of the dingy,
lay stretched at full length, and grasping the gun-
whale on each side. The cheering however was
turned to astonishment, as they watched the ship
slowly rising and heeling over to port. We on
board had been surprised that no counter action
occurred, and were beginning to wonder that the

CHAP. VI.] PERILOUS EMERGENCY. 401

vessel did not recover her equilibrium, but were
now startled by the conviction that she was
gradually going over ; and the great inclination
rendering it impossible to stand on deck, every
one clung on to windward as he best could. Then
it was we beheld the strange and appalling spec-
tacle of what may be fitly termed a submerged
berg, fixed low down with one end to the ship's
side, while the other, with the purchase of along
lever, advantageously placed at a right angle
with the keel, was slowly rising towards the
surface. Meanwhile, those who happened to be
below, finding every thing falling, rushed or
clambered on deck, where they saw the ship on
her beam-ends, with the lee boats touching the
water, and felt that a few moments only trem-
bled between them and eternity. Yet in that
awful crisis there was no confusion ; the sails
were clewed up and lowered ; fresh men from
former crews were stationed in the boats, which
again were rather unhooked than lowered ; the
barge was hoisted out ; and with a promptitude
and presence of mind which I shall ever remem-
ber with admiration, the whole five were pro-
visioned and filled with arms, ammunition, and
clothing, and veered astern clear of danger. The
pumps were never quitted, and though ex-
pecting that the ship might capsize, yet the
question of " Does the leak gain on us ?" was

D D

402 AWKWARDNESS OF SITUATION. [CHAP.V

asked, and when answered in the negative, there
was still a manifestation of hope. Our fate, how-
ever, yet hung in suspense, for not in the
smallest degree did the ship right ; happily for
us there was a dead calm, which permitted us
to examine the berg.

At the only part along the side, where
we could effectively act, it was found to be
four fathoms thick, and along this it was deter-
mined to cut with the saw, if, providentially,
time were spared us for the operation. On
going; round outside with the first Lieutenant,
I counted nearly fourteen planks below the
filled- up part of the main chains to the edge
of the water, the angle of inclination being about
twenty-five degrees, while on the lee side I stepped
from the boat's thwart on deck. Looking at
the bottom, we perceived that the keel, from the
fore-foot aft, was torn and ragged, but to what
extent the damage extended could not yet be
ascertained. The exceeding awkwardness of
our situation occasioned some difficulty in
slinging and placing the stages and sheers for
sawing, but this was surmounted ; and by Llh a.m.
the work was begun, and went on cheerily.
The men were told that much depended on their
exertions, and were encouraged to finish their
task the same day. Provisions were issued on
deck, and weak grog supplied occasionally j and
thus fortified, and assisted by the officers, they

CHAP. VI.] CREW HARD AT WORK. 408

sang and worked with that characteristic indif-
ference to peril which has been so often admired
in British seamen. While we were thus occu-
pied, several seahorses came up, and after
listening and stretching out their necks with a
sort of curious stupidity as they drew them-
selves on the ice, they seemed undecided whether
to remain or not ; at length, however, they
tumbled their uncouth bulks into the water, and
disappeared. Meantime, considerable progress,
as was imagined, was made with the saw ; but,
on sounding, it was found that instead of cutting
up and down it had taken a slanting course, and
thus obliged us to recommence ; and the lower
part, too, proved so hard, that a longer time was
required for finishing the half yet undone.
Seeing this, and reflecting that the heaviest
part was detached, the same process was tried
from aft ; and, this being found to be easier, by
midnight there remained but twenty-five feet
to cut, for connecting the two sections. Again
the crew were supplied with food, making the
third pound to each man since the commence-
ment of the work in the forenoon ; but, on this
occasion, hot cocoa was given instead of grog.
After one hour's rest the laborious duty was re-
sumed, and, stimulated with the desire of seeing
the ship once more upright, they did not relax
until nature asserted her prerogative.

d d <Z

404 SHIP RIGHTS. [CHAP. VI.

After 2h a. m., July 14th, many became so
fagged and drowsy that, in spite of the energetic
remonstrances of the first Lieutenant, they worked
mechanically, with their eyes shut ; and there-
fore, anxious as I was that all should be accom-
plished before a change of weather or other con-
tingency should interfere, and though ten feet
only were wanting to unite the fore and aft line,
I gave direction that all should quit the ice, and
He down for two hours. It was remarked, about
that time, that the ship had righted a few inches,
but still no one could move about the deck with-
out holding on by the ropes to windward. The
people had crept under the shelter of the deck
to escape from the chilling air of the morning
(for filmy ice was forming on the sea) ; the
officers were dispersed about the deck above ; and
I was contemplating the languid action of those
whose turn it was to take the pumps, and more
particularly, three or four jaded forms, stretched
out in death-like slumber on the lee side — when,
suddenly, there was a sensible yielding beneath
the feet, with the grating sound of breaking ice,
and, before a word could be spoken, the liberated
ship righted entirely ; while broken spars, the
bent saw, and the massy berg, were all in com-
motion together. Quick as they could spring,
the crew jumped on deck, and I know not how
many cheers commemorated the joyful occasion.

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CHAP. VI.] GRATIFYING REFLECTIONS. 405

It was a scene not to be forgotten by the spec-
tators. It wanted but one day to complete four
months since the ship had been thrown upon
the ice. In that period what extraordinary
phenomena we had witnessed — what manifold
mercies had shielded us when all seemed des-
perate, and now we were free : the good ship
was once more in her own element, and subject
to the will of man ! I almost doubted the reality
of what I saw.

The crew were again alive for duty ; and
having unloaded and hoisted up the boats, the
termination, as we hoped, of our weary anxieties
was celebrated by the distribution of a little grog
to the crew, who, after three cheers, which they
requested permission to give, to myself and the
officers, the fine fellows were sent to their
hammocks. The officers were glad to follow
the example of the men : Lieutenant Smyth, in
particular, must have been greatly fatigued ; for
since the 21st of June he had been himself daily
at work, and his exertions throughout this trying
affair were as meritorious as they were harassing.
Two accidents only happened, from first to last,
and one of these was slight ; the other, as having
befallen an invalid, was more serious, but yet
not dangerous. What might have happened had
the people remained on the ice it is difficult to
conjecture ; but as it rose and fell against the

dd 3

406 CLEARING DECKS. [CHAP.VI.

ship's side, which again, on leaning over, pressed
upon it, there is reason to apprehend that few
would have survived that fatal crush. Wonder-
ful, therefore, was the whole ! and well might
we repeat with the Psalmist, " They that go
down to the sea in ships, and occupy their busi-
ness in great waters ; these men see the works
of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep."
Who amongst us can ever forget that day ?

The ship, though tolerably upright, had a

trifling list to port : her draught of water, after

the consumption of one year's food, was reduced

only one foot, being fourteen feet eight inches

forward, and fourteen feet seven abaft. Left to

her own guidance, she went slowly before the

wind, avoiding, in a remarkable manner, the

many pieces of drift ice which surrounded her.

At noon the weather was beautiful. I now

heard from the carpenter, that during the time

the ship was on her beam ends, the midship

part of the upper deck rose up, while both the

ends were unsupported ; a trial which, in his

opinion, no other vessel could have withstood,

but must inevitably have broken her back, and

been in great danger of sinking. As soon as the

handsTwere turned up, we commenced clearing

the decks, and in endeavouring to stow away the

gunner's stores, it was discovered that the water

was pouring into the ship in two rills, which,

CHAP. VI.] PUMPS AT WORK. 407

finding their way by the stern-post, fell over the
transom with a gush. Every thing was imme-
diately cleared out to enable the carpenter to
get at the leak, and most of the things were
wet from having been under water. The casks
in which bread was stowed, being water-tight,
little or no injury had been sustained by this
important article. The water in the well had
been kept under, at first with three, and sub-
sequently with two pumps, constantly at work ;
and, even when the carpenters seemed to check
the stream, which rushed through the leak, still
those on deck could not relax in their efforts.

July 15th. To the N.E. there was a pack of
solid ice, and the drift ice was too thick to allow
the ship to yaw about amongst it ; the little head-
sail, therefore, that had been set, was taken in,
and we began to pass a chain round and under
the projecting part of the stern-post, heaving it
so tight as to secure it against the effect of a
heavy sea. The old rudder was now, by the
help of the sheers erected for that purpose,
taken on board, and the new one hoisted out
and hung in its proper place. Sail was then set,
and, having tacked under some disadvantage, we
entertained a very favourable opinion of the
result of the experiment. The ship, however,
was very leewardly, and the shock occasioned by
the first piece of ice that struck against her,

D D 4

408 EXPEDITION FRUSTRATED. [CHAP.VI.

showed clearly how much she was shaken and
weakened. I had waited for the verification of
my apprehensions, before I could bring myself
finally to relinquish the object of my mission ;
but my last hope having now vanished, — the ship
crazy, broken, and leaky, — I had no longer a
choice ; and, accordingly, assembling the crew
on the quarter deck, I told them they were now
going home. It may be well pardoned them
that their countenances brightened at the intel-
ligence, and their feelings were manifested by
three hearty cheers.

Thus in effect ended an expedition, from
which, had it been permitted to reach its port
of disembarkation, it was reasonable to expect
the full accomplishment of its objects. Un-
controllable circumstances prevented it. The
problem itself, which it was intended to solve,
remains of course unaltered. Whether, notwith-
standing a repulse which may fairly be considered
as accidental, a further trial is to be made, is a
question for the consideration of those to whose
zeal and perseverance the science of geography
is already so deeply indebted.

The wind having got to the eastward, the
ship was kept in the open water off Charles
Island, in readiness to avail itself of any lead
towards the mouth of the Strait. Another leak
was discovered, which again intruded on our

CHAP. VI.] SLOW PROGRESS OF SHIP. 409

Sunday service. At noon, the eastern point of
Charles Island bore S. \ W., and the ice con-
tinuing packed to the eastward, we contented
ourselves with standing off and on. The ship,
however, was so leewardly, that by noon, July 17th,
we were only opposite to the east end of the same
island, having made but seven miles to wind-
ward in twenty-four hours ; though, in smooth
water, with all reefs out and top-gallant sails
set. The leaks had been partially stopped ; but
another passage was soon found out through
and between the lining and the sides, and the
same quantity of water made its way into the
ship as before. As there was little prospect of
much improvement in this respect, a different
mode of working the pumps was adopted, and
conduits were laid down and caulked, from the
pumps to the ship's sides, in order to carry off
the water without wetting the deck. We now
sailed among loose ice, avoiding as carefully as
possible any concussion ; for the shock even of
a small piece made the ship's frame tremble in a
manner that proved beyond doubt her rickety
condition. Night as it advanced, brought rain
with fog, and a freshening breeze which induced
us to shorten sail, and having tacked from the
edge of the pack, we hove to.

Next day, July 18th, the topsails were treble
reefed, and as the same misty weather prevailed,

410 RAINY WEATHER. [CHAP.VI.

much caution and dexterity were required on
the part of the officers in keeping clear of drift
ice. All hands were yet occupied during the
day in clearing those parts of the after hold ad-
jacent to the leaks, and in restowing such as had
already been disturbed. The carpenters detected
a considerable rising in the lining of the star-
board side of the bread-room, just between the
sleeper and the stringer, against which there had
been so violent a pressure for many months past.
He secured it with sixteen long nails. Though
the wind had got round to the westward, yet,
thick and rainy as the weather was, all that could
be done was to steer clear of the ice ; but on July
19th, the wind again veered to the north, and
compelled us to beat to windward, to avoid being
driven on the southern shore. At noon it rained
heavily, and the ice was closely packed to the
north-east. The two pumps were kept going as
before, the leak making about four feet of water
per hour. Temperature 35° + . In the afternoon
the freshening of the breeze made it necessary
to reef the topsails, and we continued skirting
the edge of the pack until after midnight, when
on the 20th, the ice beginning to stream off, and
drift in vast quantities towards the southern
land, it was requisite to make an effort to elude
it, for fear of being carried with it in that direc-
tion. This, of necessity, threw us into the midst

CHAP, VI. J DIFFICULTY OF STEERING. 411

of it ; and, unmanageable as the ship was, and
always going to leeward, the utmost attention on
the part of those on deck could not prevent her
striking or grazing against various pieces, from
the concussion of which she suffered greatly.
Observing that the ice opened out to the north-
east, in which direction I wished to go, for the pur-
pose of returning along the known track of the
north shore, rather than by the unfrequented, and
almost unknown navigation of the south one, ad-
vantage was taken of the circumstance ; and, though
greatly annoyed by numerous unavoidable shocks
from the drift ice, sufficient distance was gained
to bring in sight the coast along which we had
passed last year. Such, however, was the diffi-
culty of steering clear of concussions, and
so great the importance of saving our new
rudder, which was in danger of being carried
away, that further progress was impossible; and
as by good fortune an extensive floe was near,
the ship was got to it and made fast by the
usual means of ice anchors. At that time, one
compact sheet of ice filled the Straits from shore
to shore, and extended to the utmost limit of
view to the eastward. At noon Charles Island
bore (east end) W.S.W. and the Labrador shore
stretched to the south and east, terminating in a
point. The temperature was 37°-\- , and 44° + in
the sun. That of the sea water which in a free

412 ship's draught increased, [chap. VI.

space was 35° -f , was, when surrounded with ice,
only 31° -f. The effectual labours of the car-
penter began to be manifested by a small but
perceptible diminution of the depth of water in
the well : in consequence, however, of the
wood becoming sodden, the ship had increased
her draught of water about two and a half inches.
We found ourselves setting, as was supposed,
fast to the south-east ; and, in the evening, the
floe to which we were attached split into three
pieces, though leaving our part still large enough
to hang on by.

July 21st. The ice had driven us nearer to
the Labrador Coast, a few miles from which was
an island conjectured to be that called Weggs.
The main shore was high and apparently rocky,
being diversified by hill and valley, where streaks
and patches of snow yet remained. The channel
between it and Charles Island seemed wide, and
probably contributed to form some of the eccen-
tric whirls, or currents, which every now and then
visibly affected the ice. In the forenoon we
were obliged to get more warps out, to haul the
ship out of the way of such floe pieces as threat-
ened to drive against the rudder; for, though the
south shore might have been approached, there
was not the smallest opening to the north and
east, nor indeed to the west. Two whales were
seen, and a narwhale, together with a few boat-

CHAP. VI.] HILLY COAST. 413

swains. At noon Charles Island bore W. by N.
about eight leagues distant. There was much
drift ice incommoding us in the afternoon, when
the ship was hauled alongside the floe to allow
of our filling our tanks with fresh water. There
must have been a perfect block to the east ; for,
though the wind was westerly, and, consequently,
down the Straits, we moved only to the south-
ward with the ice, which took us nearer and
nearer the shore. About 6h 30m there was a
probability of getting three or four miles to the
south-east, whereupon we cast off from the floe
and made sail, and, having accomplished the
distance at 8h p. m., we again made fast to a
large floe. This had certainly been exposed to
heavy pressure, for many blocks and masses
of ice were thrown upon it, to the height of
fifteen or twenty feet.

July 22d, presented one glare of ice to the north-
east and south-east from shore to shore, and at
noon, we found by the observations that our
drift had rather carried us in shore ; so that we
had now an opportunity of beholding the coast in
all its frowning grandeur. It rose into high
hills, deserving the name of mountains, and
these were broken into numerous vallies, that,
after shelving in some places towards the sea,
terminated abruptly in fearful precipices and
perpendicular cliffs, accessible only to birds.

414 FLOE-PIECES Ii\ MOTION. [CHAP.VI.

Some islands lay off, and, though evidently of no
mean altitude, were completely in shade under
these towering cliffs. Harbours and deep bights
were sufficiently defined, but all were choked
with ice, and unapproachable except by such
pressure as we had no desire to experience.
Two pumps were still required to keep the ship
free. A whale was seen and several morses.
Throughout the afternoon large floe pieces were
observed to be setting in atmost every direction,
even against the wind, which had considerably
increased in strength ; and frequently we were
not a little embarrassed to protect the rudder
against their assault, being compelled to make
use of warps to avoid them. The carpenter, on
examining the lining below, found that the
water trickled through still higher than before,
and that, in consequence, the ship's draught was
augmented to fourteen feet eleven inches fore
and aft, being three inches deeper than when
she righted from the ice.

Finding that the ice continued in motion, and
that there was a lead somewhat nearer the land,
I now decided on trying it, as not the slightest
probability appeared of an opening towards the
north shore, where, on the contrary, the view
presented only one compact body of impene-
trable ice. Although, therefore, I was not with-
out some anxiety of being closed in against the

CHAP. VI.] FREAK OF THE SHIP. 415

shore, if, as was not impossible, the breeze
should veer to the north and drive all the wind-
ward ice upon us ; yet I had, in fact, no alter-
native. At 8h 50m p. m. the surrounding masses
began to drift to the south-east ; and, coasting
off from the floe, we threaded an in-shore lead
under easy sail until llh p. m., when farther
progress being interrupted by the closing of the
ice, the ship was kept beating to windward of
the pack until the morning of July 23d, with
the view of taking the first favourable opening
that presented itself. The ship, however, de-
cided the point herself rather more quickly than
was anticipated ; for, refusing to answer the
helm, which had been put a-lee for tacking, she
drove bodily to leeward into the pack, to the
great risk of carrying away the rudder and the
remainder of the stern-post. This freak cost us
some severe shocks in forcing a passage to a
floe, round whose point we contrived to get by
means of warping; and, as the prospect was rather
more promising, sail was kept on the ship, and she
bored her way with many sharp concussions and
infinite windings till about lh p. m., when, having
run between twenty and thirty miles, she was
stopped by the usual impediment. Trifling as
this distance may appear, it seemed considerable
to us who had been so long driven wherever
wind and tide chose to carry us. The line of

416 VISITED BY ESQUIMAUX. [CHAP.VI.

coast was still mountainous and imposing, with a
singularly irregular outline, partially lost in a
horizontal band of fleecy clouds, which the fine-
ness of the day allowed to dwell there. Nor
was variety wanting; for, besides numerous
dark and rugged islands extending from point
to point, there were spacious bays and harbours,
almost land-locked, and stretching so far inland
as to lose their sombre aspect in the soft blue of
the distance. In one place there was an amphi-
theatre of frowning hills, the bases of which
were buried in mist, while the picturesque sum-
mits stood out clear and defined, touched here
and there with snow, producing an effect most
striking, but of which no description could give
an adequate idea. Four noisy natives of the
Esquimaux race had the hardihood to venture
through much difficult drift ice to the ship, from
whence, however, they returned amply rewarded,
and the richest of their tribe. Some of the pre-
sents, supplied for that purpose by government,
were given to them, together with a few brass
medals, having the ship's name on one side, and
a figure of Britannia on the other. The north
shore could be seen from deck.

In the evening the ice became rather slacker,
and an intimation of the freshening of the
westerly wind was given by the slipping of the
warp over the head of the hummock to which it

CHAP.Yi.] ANOTHER INVALID. 417

was fastened, in consequence of the increased
straining of the ship. Early on July 24th a
tempting lead appearing in the right direction,
that is to say, slanting off the shore, sail was
again made, and leaving the floe, under the
influence of a fresh breeze, we proceeded three
or four miles without any impediment from ice.
At the end of that distance, however, the ship
was compelled to bore among heavy masses, and
in so doing there was no possibility of escaping
many serious blows that shook her whole frame,
though still without apparent injury. At 9h 30m
the impracticability of proceeding further became
apparent, and we made fast to an extensive old
floe, of the yellow tinted kind, which happened
to be at hand. I ought to mention that, at one
time, we fancied a brigantine was in sight, which,
as the day became clearer, turned out to be an
iceberg, being over towards the north shore.
We had succeeded in drawing away from the
land about twenty miles, and the whole of the
forenoon we were set considerably to the south-
east. The hope of getting entirely free of
the ice and breathing a different air had diffused
fresh spirits in most of our invalids ; but it was
annoying to find a new patient in the list, and
one, too, who had passed through the regions of
the winter without evincing the least symptom
of disorder. The whole affair, indeed was inex-

E E

418 FLOES NUMEROUS. [CHAP.VI.

plicable to the medical officers, as we had had the
advantage of the best provisions, and assuredly
every comfort which persons situated as we
were could possess. At lh p. m. catching a
glimpse of an opening we left the floe, but after
some boring were stopped, and again held on by
the heaviest floe we had seen since the winter.
There had been immense pressure on it, as with
the floes in Fox's Channel, whence, judging
from its dirty yellow colour, it had in all pro-
bability come. In the evening we made another
attempt, which, after an hour's trial, was again
relinquished, and we made fast as before to
another floe, a great number of which lay in
every direction.

July &5th. The westerly breeze now failed
us, and up to noon the ice was infinitely too
close to permit our moving. After some time
however, the ship was warped from floe to floe,
as circumstances admitted, and at 5h p.m., just
when it was thought that further progress was
hopeless, and we were about to make fast, the ice
gradually opened out, and sail being immedi-
ately crowded on the ship, she went with hard
boring between very heavy ice, at the rate of
two or three knots an hour, as was imagined,
directly towards the north shore.

July 26th. It fell partially calm, but after
8n a. m, a light air sprang up \ and, though com-

CHAP.VI.] CURRENTS. 419

pletely hampered with ice of all descriptions, for
the berg was then plainly discerned from deck, yet
we thumped and glided on from piece to piece,
and thus contrived to make a kind of devious
course to the east-north-east. The Labrador
coast was thrown up considerably by refraction,
and, even allowing for this, appeared much
nearer than our estimated run gave us reason to
suppose. At noon this was accounted for by
the discovery that, though the longitude was
considerably to the east, the latitude was actu-
ally a few miles south of yesterday's, thus
demonstrating the influence of a current set-
ting from the west along the Labrador shore,
directly contrary to the set described by other
officers as existing on the north side of the
Straits. This fact corresponded with what we
had already experienced somewhere about Mill
Islands, where it may be remembered some
overfalls were seen, which, together with a
strong set down Fox's Channel, so completely
overpo wered the sailing qualities of the Terror,
that for two days she was unable to beat through
them. It is not improbable, therefore, that the
upward current, becoming dissipated and broken
along the sinuosities of the northern shore, may
be finally turned by the stronger one from Fox's
Channel, the effect of which would be that the
set would be carried between the islands towards

ee 2

420 SLOW PROGRESS. [CHAP. VI.

Charles Island, and thence east into the Atlantic,
as we found to be the case in fact.

During the remainder of the day, and until
noon of the 27th, the wind was light, but still
strong enough to enable us to sail and bore
among extremely heavy ice, which, from pieces
of moderate dimensions, all at once changed its
character to enormous floes, completely blocking
up the passage across. We could therefore only
coast along them, as well as the impediments
permitted.* Our progress, therefore, was neces-
sarily slow ; but after 9h p. m. a casual slack
taking place, the ship forced her way a few
miles ahead, striking with startling violence, but
yet, as on former occasions, without increasing
her leakage, though a great deal of oakum had
worked from out the seams under the counter.
The ice was of an extraordinary thickness, and
had, moreover, long projecting tongues two or
three fathoms below the surface, which so ob-
structed our course that, though the ship's head
pointed often N.N.E., we only made good a
S.E. line of direction. By midnight the entire
bodv of ice closed in and beset us ; and the
appearance, at the same time, of a faint aurora,
brought about the recollection of last autumn.

* Two pieces of ice with fragments, refuse, &c. passed us.
They were conjectured to have come from one of the Hudson's
Bay Company's ships probably passing along the north coast.

CHAP. VI.] REFRACTION OF OBJECTS. 4c2l

July 28th brought no difference in our pro-
spects, except indeed the unwonted presence, at
this season of the year, of no fewer than nine or
ten large bergs, the produce of Davis's Straits,
proving the prevalence of easterly winds from
seaward, although of late we had experienced
westerly ones in Hudson's Strait. Bergs of
this description are always described, by those
employed in the Greenland fishery, to ' hold,'
as it is termed, a great deal of water ; but every
one of these, so far as could be discerned from
the mast-head, was hemmed tightly round with
ice, nor was water visible in any point of the
compass, with the single exception of a narrow
lane towards the Labrador shore. At noon the
centre of Long Island bore S. W. There
was, and had been for two days, considerable
refraction of objects. The ship did not go her
own length ahead, by any power derived
from her sails, and at night the ice was unusually
close-packed ; but what most astonished us
was a gentle swell, which perceptibly agitated
the whole body around us, and indicated the
neighbourhood of open water, disturbed by strong
easterly winds ; so that, having, in a manner,
exhausted the fine westerly breeze which had
brought us thus far through the seemingly end-
less nuisance (for it was now one year since we
first encountered it), our ship gently drifted to

e e 3

422 POSITION AS BEFORE. [CHAP.VI.

the south-east, in a sort of neutral territory between
the confines of the polar and temperate regions.

July 29th. It was in vain that topmast and
top-gallant studding sails were set, for though
they seemed to hug the gentle air aloft, we re-
mained immovable. Daylight however proved,
by the altered appearance of Long Island, that
our drift had been southerly, and this was farther
verified by the appearance of some flocks of ducks
flying from the land towards the north. At noon
our position was much the same, only that land,
supposed to be Green Island, was observed to
bear south-east. The temperature was 54°, hav-
ing risen from 33°+. We were still completely
beset, and as the day declined, the wind, gra-
dually veering to the eastward, so interlocked
the points of ice as to give the appearance of one
vast floe. In the twenty-four hours, according
to the noon observation of July 30th, our drift
had been a little westerly, and full fifteen miles
due south, which brought us still nearer to some
low islands lying off Long Island, With every
available sail set, the ship had forged ahead
about twice her own length in four hours \ and
though more or less sail was carried, according
to the strength of the breeze, at midnight only
a few hundred paces of distance had been

gained.

On July 31st, so close was the ice, that there

CHAP. VI.] REVOLUTION OF ICE ASTERN, 423

was no possibility of keeping the ship's head in the
right direction, or preventing her from drifting bo-
dily towards the land : sail, therefore, was shortened,
and we made fast to the largest piece near. By this
measure, however, our way to the south was rather
increased than diminished, and sail was again set ;
when, after drifting considerably to leeward, her
head was at length forced in the right direction,
and she went ahead about twice her own length.
Th en,flnding all further exertion useless, the for mer
plan of carrying out an ice-anchor to the heaviest
piece was adopted, and, the sails being furled,
we remained quiet until 10h 30m a. m., when, by
a sudden revolution of the ice astern, a weighty
mass came in contact with the rudder, and, be-
fore we could warp out of danger, had well nigh
carried it away. A few minutes, however,
sufficed to haul the ship's broadside to the larger
piece, where we lay secure. It might have been
expected, from our previous drift with a westerly
breeze, that now that the wind had drawn round
to the north-east we should have been driven still
more to the southward, where some low rocks,
apparently not much above the water, were
ready to receive us. But here again was another
anomaly; for, notwithstanding the drag of the
ship against the ice to which she was anchored,
greatly to our astonishment she went to wind-
ward, almost, indeed, in the wind's eye, so that

e e 4

424 PUMPS STILL REQUIRED. [CHAP.VI.:

by nightfall the coast of Long Island, whose
rugged rocks were contemplated eight hours
before with no agreeable sensations, was beginning
to assume a fainter tinge, and to give place to
the loom of some uncertain land, conjectured to
be Green Island, bearing about east.

Heavy rain, similar to that ordinarily met with
at the edge of a pack, or at least in the vicinity of
open water, together with thick weather, effectu-
ally screened the shore from view. This continu-
ing throughout the night, on August 1st we had
no means of ascertaining our position otherwise
than by sounding; but as this gave one hundred
and twenty-eight fathoms water, on a muddy
bottom, all cause for anxiety was at an end.
The ice continued to slacken about the ship
and to windward, and at noon the tempera-
ture was 34°. Two pumps were always required
to keep the ship free ; and, notwithstanding
our present sheltered situation, yet the jerking
and concussions received from passing ice added
to the effect of a slight swell, just sufficient to
swing the broadside at intervals against the
piece to which we were attached, had contri-
buted to weaken still further the after part of
the ship, so that, to use the carpenter's phrase,
" the bolts wept ;" or, in other words, were
already sufficiently loosened to allow of the
waters oozing between them and the wood.

14f

CHAP. VI. J SHIP STRUCK BY A PLOE. 4L25

.The result was an increase of water in the well,
amounting now to a little more than five feet
per hour, and an apprehension that it would be
still further augmented on exposure to a rolling
sea. Several heavy remnants of floes hovered for
three or four hours of a rainy night alarmingly
near our rudder and quarter ; and, anxious as
we were to guard these tender and . important
points, it was not a little curious to observe the
eccentric movements of those huge masses ;
now pressing directly towards us, now turning
aside and athwart the previous course, as it were
reluctantly retreating ; then again, as if urged by
fresh vigour, turning slowly round, and gradu-
ally reapproaching ; until suddenly, under some
powerful but unseen influence, their whirling
ceased, and they started off with accelerated
speed in a straight undeviating line, immediately
against the wind, ploughing up or tossing aside
every impediment that crossed their way. Rain
fell all night, up to noon of August 2d, the
wind continuing north-east and the ice close,
whilst a gentle swell occasionally agitated the
ship. No land could be seen. At c2h 40ra p. m.
a sudden commotion took place among the ice,
perhaps occasioned by the spring tide, which
drove a large floe against the ship, upon the star-
board quarter, with a crash that brought most
of the officers on deck* Fortunately, the blow

42G HEAVY MISTS. [CHAP.VI.

was not repeated ; and, after a lapse of two
hours, it floated away to the leeward, whither,
indeed, all the lighter ice seemed to be drifting,
in the direction of south-east. The same dark
thick weather, with incessant rain, prevailed
throughout the night, the ice being often very
slack, and then closing again with some degree
of violence.

August 3d. Finding that the stern was more
exposed than the bow, which had the shelter of
a projecting point of our holding piece, the ship
was turned round end for end, and secured ;
though, such was the uncertain action of the
drift ice, that it was little better than chance
which was the better direction. At noon we
were still in the dark as to our position ; but,
judging from the numerous flocks of loons flying
backwards and forwards morning and evening,
it was conjectured that the land could not be
very remote. Meanwhile, the easterly wind and
mist continued, the temperature varying from
32° to 3r/° + . About 2h p.m. the ice closed
rapidly around us ; and a heavy floe which had
been at rest for some hours, acquiring instant
speed, struck our holding piece so forcibly as to
split it, leaving, however, a remnant sufficient
for our purpose, when some necessary alterations
had been made with the warp. At 4h there
was a partial clearing above, and some low land

CHAP. VI.] TWO BERGS DISCOVERED. 427

was indistinctly seen, bearing E.S.E. ; but the
return of the mist again obscured it, and left us
ignorant of what part it was. Immense flocks
of loons kept constantly flying in every direction,
betraying a restlessness altogether unaccountable.
There was no lack of water, which, however,
they seemed to disregard ; so that had not we
caught a glimpse of our position, I should have
certainly thought we were not far from the rocks
where they roosted. Not long after this, two
bergs were discovered ; and the wind having
veered to north-west, and the ice become more
apart, I determined on casting off from what
had carried us safely through three days of mist.
I was utterly at a loss to know whether the ship
was north or south of her last ascertained posi-
tion ; but, as the horizon was visible for about four
miles, and nothing appeared to indicate land, we
warped a short distance, and then made sail.
The ice continued slack, and we had the satis-
faction to find that the ship glided through the
water, though not without the usual penalty of
some severe shocks, which made her tremble to
her very keel. The carpenter had been assidu-
ously employed in an attempt to force up a
quantity of oakum and tallow between the
doubling and the rents in the stern-post, in the
hope of choking some portion of the leaks
thereabouts j and the experiment, so far as he

428 A SMART GALE. [CHAP.VI.

could judge from the disappearance of the
material used, was attended with tolerable suc-
cess. At midnight there was almost a calm, and
the whole body of ice began to set fast to the
south. However, on the 4th, the breeze revisited
us, and with more or less obstruction we went
on under the same sail. The ice now lay more
in streams than formerly ; and between these
there was so much water, as to induce the ice-
mate to suppose we had got to the edge of the
pack. That this was not the fact was subse-
quently proved by our being again slightly
hampered at noon, when by the latitude of
67° 47' N., it was evident that notwithstanding
the northern course which had been steered,
we had still crept to the southward. At 4h p. m.
Green Island was clearly visible from S.E. to
E.S.E., considerably to the south of us, although
bearing north by the charts; a circumstance
easily accounted for, as it had only been seen by
the dead reckoning of one of our predecessors,
and marked down accordingly. Its true position;
is in latitude 60° 30' north, and longitude
67° 26' 20" west.

As the sun declined, the weather cleared and
brought on a fresh breeze that shortly increased
to a smart gale ; and the ice being closer and
heavier than in the early part of the day, it became
requisite to shorten sail and close-reef the top-

CHAP. VI.] SPLENDID METEOR. 429

sails, to lessen the violence of the shocks
unavoidably received. Some of these, indeed,
were sufficiently alarming to cause anxiety for
the safety of the rudder ; for, as we were in what
is called a loose pack, with no piece large
enough to make the ship fast to, she drifted
against them broadside on, and, drawing her
length along with much pressure under the
quarter, threw a powerful strain on the stern-
post.

On August 5th, about c2h a. m., a splendid
comet-like meteor appeared in the south-east,
which darting from somewhere near the zenith in
a brilliant prismatic blaze, and, taking a direction
towards the horizon, burst about fifteen degrees
above it, and after scattering rays of beautiful
sparks, vanished altogether. Towards morning
a ground swell was felt, and the ice becoming
much slacker, and the wind lighter, ■ (though
still fresh), wre made some way to the north,
having passed two large bergs, which the night
before were barely in sight. Green Island, too,
was distant and much refracted. We now, for
the first time since leaving Charles Island, got
into a space of eight or ten miles of open water,
and setting the main sail we beat to windward to
round a point of ice, which, howrever, was not
effected by noon. The latitude was found to be
60° 54', and there seemed a reasonable proba-

430 DARK-COLOURED BERGS. [CHAP.VI.

bility of getting still more to the north, which I
considered the only certain way of avoiding the
southerly set, and accomplishing a speedy pass-
age out of the Strait. Easterly winds must have
been unusually prevalent hereabouts, since a
large proportion of the heavy ice, recently
encountered, was decidedly the produce of the
deep bays and inlets in the neighbourhood of
Davis's Strait, as was evident from their
weather-beaten form, and the difference of colour,
which was of a purer white and deeper blue
than what we had been accustomed to. In addi-
tion to these, there were the bergs spreading at
every point, but which, with a northerly or west-
erly wind, would, long before this time, have been
far on their journey towards the banks of New-
foundland or the Gulf Stream. After three or
four tacks we reached open water at 6h p. m., at
which time Green Island was but just in sight,
and the north shore, with Button's isles on
the other side, soon came into view. The
wind having abated, all sail was crowded on
the ship, and at 8h r. m., there were but three
or four bergs and some straggling streams of ice
to be seen, while a peculiar gloom of a leaden
grey tinge, the effect of a dark sky on open
water, seemed, to eyes inured to a twelvemonth's
glare of Polar ice, unusually dull and heavy.
But it had not power to damp the joy that

CHAP. VI. J INVALIDS CHEER. 431

beamed on every countenance, at the long
wished for liberation that now quickly broke
upon us. Our invalids became animated; and,
even the few who were seriously affected, and
had long worn the sallow livery of disease,
raised their feeble frames from their beds, and,
with a smile, once more thought of home.
Snow appeared to be still lingering on the high
land from Terra Nieva to the East Bluff, the
denuded parts of which were strangely striated
by the refracted ice clinging close along the
sinuosities of the coast. One of the lower
savage islands, alone, was seen dark and solitary
in the opening ; and beyond it, in colour not
much deeper than the sky, was the bulky form
of Resolution, the Calpe of the Strait.

With more or less obstruction from adverse
tide or current, we pursued our joyous course,
until on August 6th calm and rain for a while
checked it; soon, however, a light air again
sprang up, and at noon we were hastening on-
wards. We now hauled up more for the land,
in order to clear the extreme point of some
stream ice, but were puzzled at seeing only
four hills to the north, instead of Resolution
Island ; the latter, however, was at length
discovered in the shape of a narrow horizontal
line far up in the clouds, on the dispersion of
which we found ourselves nearly opposite to
Hatton's headland. Every sail that could be

3-12 EXTRA MEAL ALLOWED. [cHAP.VI.

"set was spread to the breeze ; though, scarcely
had we fairly launched into the wide opening
of Davis's Strait, than we were compelled to
put the ship under snug canvass. In the midst
of one of the squalls the look-out man called
out " ice ahead ;" and before there was time
to perform any evolution, we were right among
it: luckily, it was only the straggling edge of
a loose stream, which was passed without in-
jury, though it required the utmost vigilance
to steer clear of the numerous bergs seen
dimly through the haze of a starless night.

Early on August 7th Resolution Island was
just in sight, astern ; and, under the influence
of a most promising westerly breeze, sail was
again crowded, while active measures were
adopted to hoist inboard and firmly secure
our boats, anchors, &c, for the voyage across.
One circumstance alone gave cause for uneasi-
ness, and this was the working of the injured parts
of the stern-posts and keel by which more water
necessarily found admission. A strong shore was
immediately fixed to counteract it, which in
some respects answered well ; though it was
not altogether effective, since the pumps were
constantly required to keep the ship free. The
arduous duty thus imposed on a weakened
crew, together with other considerations, induced
the surgeon to recommend an additional meal
of preserved meat in the week, with more an-

CHAP. VI.] SHATTERED CONDITION OF SHIP. 433

tiscorbutics. It had been observed, indeed, that
the apprehension of sickness had induced most
of the men to go without food, except such
as they could save up of fresh provision,
rather than take their regular allowance of salt
meat. We now went cheerily along between
ice bergs of an extent and altitude such as I
had never before witnessed, until, leaving them
far behind, the temperature of the sea-water
gradually increased from 36° to 41° + , and indi-
cated our entrance into a warmer climate.

August 9th. The shattered condition of the
after part of the ship forced itself hourly more
on our notice, and, though yet unexposed to any
thing beyond a moderate sea, the rickety state of
the stern-post and other parts, such as the dead-
wood, heel-hook, and heel-knee, as well as the
increased leakage between the lining, rendered
immediate attention necessary, before the arrival
of a gale should put us to too severe a test. Con-
sequently the heel chains were again set up, and
being brought over each quarter were hove tight
by the capstan ; and in order to prevent the
scarphing of the doubling on the keel from break-
ing adrift, as was apprehended by the carpenter,
as well as to secure the doubling itself, a length
of the stream-chain cable was passed under the
bottom of the ship, four feet before the mizen
mast, hove tight by the capstan, and finally im-

F F

434 BREEZE OFF CAPE FAREWELL. [CHAP.VI.

moveably fastened to six ring-bolts on the quarter
deck. The effect was at once manifested, by a
great diminution in the working of the parts
already mentioned, and in a less agreeable way,
by impeding our rate of sailing ; a trifling con-
sideration, however, when compared with the
benefit received. Another man was added to the
sick list, a second showed symptoms of scurvy,
and the same evening Mr. Webster, the gunner,
was similarly affected. Nothing could be more
favourable than the wind and weather had hitherto
been since quitting Hudson's Strait, but though
many additional bolts and supports had been
placed abaft, yet the working of the ship, as she
was thrown about by the sea or swell, began
sensibly to loosen the bolt-heads in the heel-hook,
while the lining was much swollen. The only
immediate remedy for these unavoidable evils,
was the substituting more shores to counteract the
effect, and give what strength we could.

August 1 1th. The stay bolts in the tiller broke,
owing to a rather heavy swell from the south-
west acting against a northerly breeze, which
rolled us about a great deal. From that time
we went on slowly, without material change, until
the 15th, when, having rounded the broad point
of Cape Farewell, we were all at once exposed to
a swell from the north east, which, though the
breeze entirely died away, increased to such a

CHAP. VI. J INCREASE OF LEAKAGE. 435

degree as to resemble the sea off the Cape of
Good Hope more than anything else. The con-
sequences to us were serious indeed, for, from the
unavoidable pitching, rolling, and straining of
the ship, the entire stern frame became more
and more loosened. The fastenings and bolts were
rickety and twisted : this naturally slackened the
preventer lashings, till that time of great utility,
and an additional quantity of water, now forcibly
rushing in from a variety of places, warned us
how little we had to depend upon for safety, ex-
cept the providential care which had hitherto been
our stay and comfort. We did not however neglect
to put four extra screw eye-bolts on each side of
the heel-knee, through which ten turns of two-
inch rope were passed for a lashing, that in some
measure relieved the immense strain previously
sustained by the others. Nevertheless the leaks
did not abate, and owing to the quantity of coals
stowed in bulk below, and the manner in which
we had been thrown about, the limber holes had
got choked, so that on inspection not less than
fourteen inches of water were found over the
casing of the water-courses. This obliged us to
cut a hole through the bulkhead on the star-
board side, to allow of its egress to the pump
well, and when it was done, the service of the
whole crew, properly divided into parties, was
required for upwards of three hours and twenty

f f 2

436 CRAZY STATE OF THE SHIP. [CHAP. VI.

minutes, out of the four hours of each watch, to
keep the ship free. In fact she was becoming
daily more sodden and heavy, as was proved by
her diminished rate of sailing, which now, under
every advantage of wind and sea, never exceeded
five knots an hour. Generally, however, she
averaged from two to three, and in moderate
weather with any swell still less.

August 18th. The keel chain having been
slackened, owing probably to the working of the
damaged part, was again hove tight with the cap-
stan. The effect of this was soon shown, for the
shores and fastenings below, where the carpenter
of the watch was stationed, were observed by him
to be set firm, thus proving beyond all doubt the
loosened state of the under portion of the ship.
Thus patched up, while favoured with moderate
weather, we made reasonable progress ; but dur-
ing any abatement of the breeze, the rolling and
plunging of the ship excited much anxiety, for
the leaks still gained, and the altered appearance
of the crew plainly evinced the change that was
taking place, from their incessant labour. Nor
could it be concealed that the quantity of water
always rushing backward and forward below, was
beginning to affect the equilibrium of the ship,
which now visibly heeled over to starboard. The
favourable conjunction of circumstances which
had carried us thus far without any squall or

CHAP. VI.] WATER REACHES MAGAZINE. 437

tempest, encouraged many in the hope that we
might be altogether exempted from such un-
welcome visitations.

On August the 28th, however, the clouds
grew dark and gloomy, whilst misty scud drove
rapidly before the coming gale, and the heavy
roll of the sea threw us about in every direction.
The bulkheads being considerably loosened,
worked so much, that it became necessary to
introduce numerous wedges. These for a time
answered the purpose of keeping them firm,
especially when by carrying a press of sail the
ship could be kept well over on one side ; but
on examining below, it was found that the bolts
and tree-nails in the after-part of the sail-room
were started, which in consequence was so much
weakened, as to allow the rushing in of a stream
of water between the lining. This again de-
manded immediate attention, and though the
ingenuity of our able carpenter enabled him to
check its progress in that particular place, it soon
forced its way to another.

August 31st. The continuance of the gale
augmented our difficulties, for a fresh leak was
discovered on the larboard side of the heel-knee,
and a considerable quantity of water found its
way into the magazine and injured the powder.
The bread-room, too, was partially flooded, and
the entire stern-frame worked with every roll,

ff3

438 CASCADE IN BREAD-ROOM. £CHAP.V.

to such an extent, that it seemed almost impos-
sible to keep the ship from filling. The heel
chains being found slack, were again about to be
set up, when it was ascertained that the screw
ring-bolt fixed in the outer dead-wood on the
larboard side had been carried away, so that the
loosening; of the chain was not to be wondered
at. It was, therefore, hauled up, while the
remaining one, on which alone we had now to
depend, was set as tight as possible. Still the
water rushed violently in below, more especially
about the stern-post and heel-hook ; and oozing
through different parts higher up, fell like a
cascade into the bread-room and ' run.' Two
more screw ring-bolts were now driven into each
side of the heel-knee, which was secured by a
lashing of eighteen turns of two-and-a-half inch
rope, while, apprehensive that further injury had
been sustained about the keel, another length of
chain was passed under the bottom, and set well
tight to a part of itself across the after-part of the
quarter deck. The ship was becoming exces-
sively uneasy ; for the unabated fury of the gale,
strengthened by squalls, raised a long breaking
sea, in which she plunged so heavily, that it was
often unusually long before she recovered her-
self. It was evident she was hourly getting
more water-logged, and the straining and creak-
ing of her whole frame, the working of the

CHAP. VI.] SHIP SINKING. 439

bulkheads, which actually raised the officers'
bed-places, the rickety twisting occasioned by
the fore and aft motion, and the prolonged dull
roll to windward, to say nothing of the cascade-
like rushing of the water within, — all theseVere
certain indications of a consummation which no
exertions of ours would probably be sufficiently
long to defer. Whilst thus seriously anxious,
I was acquainted, shortly after midnight, by
Lieutenant Smyth, that the crew were no longer
equal to the task of keeping the leaks under,
and that, consequently, we were sinking. Such,
indeed, was for the moment the fact ; but the
fine fellows, though dreadfully exhausted, again
rallied, and cheered and aided by the officers,
worked with renewed vigour, until once more
they accomplished, and thenceforth maintained
their object.

Up to this moment I had intended to proceed
to Stromness, but it now became absolutely
necessary to make for the nearest land, and as
Lough Swilly, on the Irish coast, offered the
easiest access, that harbour was at once selected.
However, on putting the ship before the gale,
she was so difficult to steer as to compel us to
take in all the sail off the main-mast, and to de-
pend on a treble-reefed fore-top-sail, fore-sail, &c. :
even then she was so wild as to be scarcely ma-
nageable. The crew were now so harassed with

f f 4

440 A SAIL DESCRIED. [cHAP.VI.

unremitted work at the pumps, which could not
be left for a moment, that they were fast wear-
ing out. To aggravate our disasters, the ship,
too, laboured so as to make it impossible to light
a fire, and thus deprived us of the nourish-
ment essential for the restoration of our ex-
hausted energies. This, however, was in some
measure compensated by a liberal allowance of
preserved meats, which, on this, as on many
other occasions, we had found extremely useful.
The weather continued very boisterous, and
so thick that Rockall, though within ten miles
of us, was not seen. A heavy sea now struck
the after-part of the ship, and, to complete our
misfortunes, sprung the main piece of the rudder
on the larboard side, not far from the deck.
Happily we were enabled to get at it, and by
passing seventeen turns of strong whale line
round the injured part, we contrived to secure
it. Still, as successive seas came rolling thickly
upon us, we watched with intense solicitude the
result, well knowing that if it gave way again
the safety of the ship was hopeless, even if life
itself could be preserved.

On we struggled, crazy and waterlogged, but
the gale abated; and on Sept. 3d, crowding
every stitch of canvass, we descried a sail in the
distance, the first we had yet seen. Under
ordinary circumstances a signal would have been

CHAP. VI.] CAST ANCHOR IN LOUGH SWILLY. 441

made to attract her attention, bat time was too
precious with us now that we were pressing for-
ward for our lives ; and about two o'clock in the
afternoon, within half an hour of our calculation,
the joyful sound of land was announced from the
look-out man at the mast head. It was late
when we closed it, and being anxious to obtain a
pilot, rockets, blue lights, and guns were fired
for that purpose, but no one came ; wherefore,
trusting to the soundings, we glided silently past
the lights of the fishermen's cottage, and near
midnight anchored safely in Lough Swilly.

Fifteen long months had elapsed since that
pleasing sound of a falling anchor had greeted
us , and when we reflected on what had passed
in that interval, and, above all, on the difference
which a few hours had made in our prospects,
we could not but feel devoutly grateful to Pro-
vidence for the mercy which had been vouch-
safed us. It was impossible immediately to
compose our feelings into tranquillity, and the
remainder of the night was passed in a state of
feverish excitement. When morning came,
with what indescribable delight did we inhale
the fragrance and contemplate the beauty of
the land. Imagination could scarcely picture a
scene so enchanting as to our weary and frost-
dazzled sight appeared that soft and lovely land-
scape, with its fresh green tints and beautiful

442 THE TERROR RUN ON SHORE. [CHAP.VI.

variety of hill and dale. It was an enjoyment
to be felt but once in a life, and how much was
that enjoyment enhanced when the wind sud-
denly changed and blew a gale off shore, which
but a few hours earlier must have driven us back
to sea, and, in all probability, terminated our
labours in a different wav.

Harassed and worn out by extreme toil, the
crew were no longer able to work as formerly,
and though ably assisted by the officers and
men of Her Majesty's service stationed along
the coast, and especially by Lieutenant Murray,
and the officers and crew of the Wickham,
yet the Terror was gradually sinking by the
head, when finding that their united efforts
were unequal to keep her afloat, it was deter-
mined as the last resource to run her ashore on
a small sandy beach selected for the purpose.
It was found at low water that upwards of
twenty feet of the keel, together with ten feet
of the stern-post, were driven over more than
three feet and a half on one side, leaving a
frightful opening astern for the free ingress of
the water. The forefoot too was entirely gone,
besides numerousbolts either loosened or broken ;
and when, besides this, the strained and twisted
state of the ship's frame was considered, there was
not one on board who did not express astonish-
ment that we had ever floated across the Atlantic.

CHAP. VI.] SAIL FOR ENGLAND. 413

Her Majesty's Government being informed of
our situation and of the sickness that had pre-
vailed, under the effects of which seven were still
suffering, immediately sent a vessel round for
the conveyance of the invalids to Devonport.
They had in the meantime been committed to
the care of Dr. Evans, at Burn cranah, from whose
judicious treatment the greatest benefits were
derived.

A party of shipwrights from Chatham was
also sent under the direction of Mr. Rice, in the
Columbia Steamer, which was eventually laden
with a part of our stores, and whose commander,
a Mr. Thompson, lost no opportunity of render-
ing every aid in his power. The zealous atten-
tion of Mr. Rice and the indefatigable exertions
of his party are best attested by the fact that the
work was completed about the 18th of October,
when the Terror was hauled off to the anchorage
and again prepared for sea. Nor must I here omit
to mention the hospitality displayed by many
estimable families in the neighbourhood of Lough
Swilly. To their attentions, indeed, may be
attributed the speedy restoration to health of
many of the officers, who, equally with my-
self, will ever retain a lively recollection of
their kindness.

When all was ready, occasionally assisted by
the Columbia, we made sail along the coast, and

444> ARRIVAL AT CHATHAM. [CHAP.VI.

with only one detention at Lock Ryan, arrived
first at Devonport and subsequently at Chatham,
where the Terror was put out of commission
and taken into dock.

I

-&

---> " > A

4t 5

5

4

Cat/- •

r*

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

The few birds and animals obtained during the
expedition are so familiar to the readers of Arctic
zoology as to render any notice of them altogether
unnecessary ; it may be mentioned, however, that a
very small halibut (the only fish seen) was found in the
beak of the Lestris Pomarinus.

The Temperature was taken hourly by the different
officers, and carefully arranged by Lieut. Smyth, but
the Monthly Means alone are inserted here.

The Latitudes, Longitudes, Variation, and Dip are
selected from the Observations of Lieut. O. Stanley.

G G

450

APPENDIX.

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451

A Table of the Latitudes, Longitudes, and Variation.

Date.

Latitude.

Longitude.

Variat".

Date.

Latitude.

Longitude.

Variatn.

N.

W.

W.

N.

W.

W.

1836.

O ' "

O 1 II

O '

1836.

O I "

o ' "

o '

June 24

59 57 00

4 41 00

26^

Aug. 9

63 30 00

72 48 dr

25

59 58 00

7 11 00

10

63 36 dr

73 40 dr

26

59 19 00

8 47 00

23 50

11

63 33 00

73 45 00

27

59 19 00

11 46 00

24 50

12

63 24 38

73 53 00

62 15

28

59 43 00

13 28 00

13

63 26 00

74 29 30

29

60 52 00

14 31 00

14

64 10 dr

76 22 dr

30

60 45 00

13 55 00

37 42

15
16

64 06 00
64 23 00

77 19 00
77 45 00

57 37
56 3

July 1

59 55 dr

17 46 dr

41 00

17

64 42 00

80 05 00

2

59 56 00

20 19 00

18

64 57 00

81 00 00

3

60 11 DR

22 20 00

43 17

21

65 8 00

81 15 00

4

59 59 00

24 51 00

45 00

22

65 28 00

81 15 00

5

60 20 00

27 22 dr

23

65 42 00

82 00 00

49 52

6

61 08 dr

27 45 dr

25

65 47 00

82 12 30

61 11

7

60 11 DR

27 24 dr

26

65 45 00

82 12 00

61 33

8

59 50 dr

29 19 dr

29

65 49 00

82 06 00

9

60 22 dr

30 23 dr

10

59 20 00

31 41 00

44 42

Sept. 1

65 42 00

82 02 00

11

58 10 00

32 57 00

45 00

3

65 26 00

82 21 15

13

58 4 00

34 41 00

4

65 12 55

82 05 30

14

57 06 00

34 01 00

5

65 5 00

82 10 00

15

56 51 00

35 07 dr

8

65 6 15

82 43 dr

16

57 54 00

35 00 dr

41 00

9

65 7 30

82 41 15

17

58 19 00

33 42 00

10

65 5 00

82 38 00

18

57 39 00

33 39 00

18

65 12 30

83 10 30

19

57 14 00

35 07 00

19

65 14 25

83 17 00

20

56 50 dr

36 30 dr

26

65 18 00

83 40 30

21

57 13 dr

40 10 DR

22

57 26 dr

43 29 dr

Oct. 5

65 15 00

83 37 15

23

57 31 00

44 17 dr

30

65 15 00

83 44 07

24

58 03 dr

46 33 dr

25

57 53 dr

48 48 dr

Nov. 7

65 12 50

83 32 00

26

57 23 dr

53 28 dr

21

65 10 12

83 9 0

27

58 29 00

55 56 dr

22

65 14 30

83 20 0

28

60 02 00

58 22 dr

29

60 15 dr

61 00 DR

Station I.

65 12 24

83 39 50

57 57

30

60 17 00

61 57 00

49 00

31

60 22 00

62 42 00

52 37

1837.
' Jan. 4

64 52 10

82 23 00

Aug. 1

60 43 27

63 35 30

8

64 49 30

82 13 00

2

61 15 DR

65 19 dr

3

61 39 00

67 70 00

StatnII.

64 44 38

82 07 09

4

62 4 00

68 12 30

54 00

5

62 30 16

69 33 00

| Jan. 31

64 46 15

82 06 10

6

62 39 00

70 54 00

8

63 22 00

72 23 00

58 45

, Feb. 1

| 64 45 50

82 5 45

G G 2

452

APPENDIX.

A Table of the Latitudes, Longitudes

, &c. — contin

ued.

Date.

Latitude.

Longitude.

Variatn.

Date.

Latitude.

Longitude.

Variatn.

N.

W.

W.

N.

W.

\V.

1837.

O 1 II

O 1 II

o /

1837.

0 1 II

O 1 II

0 '

Feb. 4

64 57 15

81 49 0

May 7

63 28 16

78 47 00

5

64 49 31

81 48 00

8

63 19 25

78 39 45

6

64 58 36

81 38 45

9

63 14 32

78 41 15

7

64 32 5

81 33 30

53 3

10

63 11 48

77 37 00

9

64 28 50

81 31 00

51 07

17

62 58 41

77 44 15

10

64 26 18

81 28 30

18

62 59 54

77 39 50

11

64 21 07

81 25 15

19

62 59 07

77 31 55

12

64 18 58

81 24 00

20

62 58 31

77 24 47

13

64 16 0

81 21 0

23

63 01 00

77 52 25

16

64 19 34

81 23 00

24

63 3 47

77 10 01

19

64 17 50

81 18 45

26

63 2 13

76 41 53

20

64 16 47

81 15 00

28

63 6 59

76 19 35

22

64 15 17

81 13 00

29

63 9 39

76 23 00

53 00

23
28

64 14 50
64 12 00

81 15 00
81 11 30

June 4

7

63 13 44
63 12 40

75 49 00
75 35 00

Mar. 7

64 13 15

81 10 00

8

63 10 56

75 9 15

8

64 11 58

81 07 30

9

62 51 59

74 43 45

9

64 10 00

81 03 00

10

63 00 40

75 1 15

11

64 10 07

80 59 00

12

63 5 15

75 5 45

12

64 08 26

80 56 00

16

62 57 36

74 49 30

16

64 01 03

80 46 00

18

62 49 38

74 45 45

17

64 3 3

80 38

22

62 55 5

74 6 15

18

64 I 33

80 41 00

23

62 52 55

73 58 15

56 12

22

64 5 57

80 38 00

54 00

24

62 47 27

73 55 30

23

64 10 00

80 40 00

54 00

29

63 10 30

74 15 45

26

64 6 00

80 44 00

30

63 12 00

74 21 30

April 5

63 59 00

80 33 00

July 3

63 16 18

74 47 30

7

63 57 00

80 28 00

6

63 20 00

75 20 30

8

63 51 23

80 17 00

49 03

9

63 16 10

75 27 30

10

63 49 12

80 15 00

10

63 14 17

75 25 30

11

63 48 45

80 14 00

15

63 2 15

74 35 45

12

63 53 22

80 11 00

18

62 50 35

72 29 00

13

64 4 45

SO 22 00

Sunset.

21

73 07 00

14

64 5 38

80 14 00

22

62 26 47

73 10 30

20

63 55 00

80 13 00

24

61 44 9

71 00 30

21

63 52 28

80 7 87

25

61 35 17

71 12 15

22

63 51 30

79 49 0

26

61 36 9

70 48 00

28

63 58 00

79 00 00

28

61 19 41

69 21 30

30

63 54 00

78 44 00

29

61 10 16

69 21 15

May 1
2

63 48 44
63 40 51

78 45 00
78 35 15

30
31

60 58 L'O
60 58 00

69 31 45
69 10 45

3

63 43 56

78 42 15

Aug. 1

61 00 00

69 3 15

4

63 43 56

78 42 30

4

60 51 30

67 36 00-

5

63 39 37

78 48 45

5

60 55 00

66 48 00

6

63 36 47

78 47 00

6

61 17 00

65 54 00

1

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456 APPENDIX.

Observations with Fox's Dipping Needle.

Dip.

o /

June 7th, 1836, in Chatham dock-yard - - 68 58
June 9th - Ditto - - - 68 58

}

89 55

August 10th, on the ice in Hudson's Strait,
lat. 63° 33' N., long. 73° 45' W. -

October 31st, in a snow hut in Frozen Strait, 1 ft_ A()

lat. 65° 45' N., long. 83° 48' W. - -J 0/ 4U

November 16th, in a snow hut off Cape Com- 1 fi7 u
fort, lat. 65° 10' N. long. 83° 06' W. - J

January 6th, 1837, in a snow hut off Cape! ft7 07

Fisher, lat. 64° 50 N., long. 82° 18' W. -J 0/ U/

February 9th, in a snow hut off Cape Fisher, "| ft_ ftr

(Ther.l50),lat.64029'N.,long.81°31'W.J e/ Uo

March 24th, on the ice off Terror Point, "I ft_ ftq

lat. 64° 10' N., long. 80° 40' W. - ~ J s/ UcJ

London :

Printed by A. Spottiswoode,
New- Street- Square.

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